Today felt like I was looking through a kaleidoscope at Tel Aviv - trying to see it clearly, but really only catching sight of fragmented pieces of its past and present.
Our visit to the Palmach museum, which tells the story of Israel's War of Independence, presented in multiple short vignettes was very informative about the War of Independence and gave a more personal perspective of the stories of some of these special forces soldiers.
This was followed by a visit to a tech incubator, highlighting Israel's prevalence as a tech-friendly city for startup success (ranked among the highest, along with San Francisco and Austin), along with some of the premier products and inventions that have come out of Israel over the past decade.
Guy Sharett then took us on a walking tour of Tel Aviv with a focus on Hebrew language learning through graffiti street art. We saw some incredible pieces of artwork, some interesting political commentary, and the beautiful Florentine neighborhood.
After the sun went down, we headed to Rabin Square to join thousands of Israelis in a Yom Hazikaron commemoration ceremony (the beginning of which was televised on big screens in the area as it took place in Jerusalem at the Kotel) that included prayer and lots of somber singing in memoriam of the soldiers and civilians lost in war and acts of terror. The program began with the sound of the sirens across the country, all stopping to pay homage to the moment, to those lost. The feeling of sorrow and connection buzzed through the crowd, almost like an electrical current running between everyone there. During certain songs, it appeared as though the entire crowd was shedding tears together, everyone affected directly by this sense of loss in some way. Witnessing the manner In which this holiday is commemorated here in Israel brings me new perspective to the way in which we commemorate America's fallen on our Memorial Day, and to the way in which we as a JCC attempt to replicate this collective moment of mourning in some way each year on Yom Hazikaron.
Today felt like I was looking through a kaleidoscope at Tel Aviv - trying to see it clearly, but really only catching sight of fragmented pieces of its past and present.
Our visit to the Palmach museum, which tells the story of Israel's War of Independence, presented in multiple short vignettes was very informative about the War of Independence and gave a more personal perspective of the stories of some of these special forces soldiers.
This was followed by a visit to a tech incubator, highlighting Israel's prevalence as a tech-friendly city for startup success (ranked among the highest, along with San Francisco and Austin), along with some of the premier products and inventions that have come out of Israel over the past decade.
Guy Sharett then took us on a walking tour of Tel Aviv with a focus on Hebrew language learning through graffiti street art. We saw some incredible pieces of artwork, some interesting political commentary, and the beautiful Florentine neighborhood.
After the sun went down, we headed to Rabin Square to join thousands of Israelis in a Yom Hazikaron commemoration ceremony (the beginning of which was televised on big screens in the area as it took place in Jerusalem at the Kotel) that included prayer and lots of somber singing in memoriam of the soldiers and civilians lost in war and acts of terror. The program began with the sound of the sirens across the country, all stopping to pay homage to the moment, to those lost. The feeling of sorrow and connection buzzed through the crowd, almost like an electrical current running between everyone there. During certain songs, it appeared as though the entire crowd was shedding tears together, everyone affected directly by this sense of loss in some way. Witnessing the manner In which this holiday is commemorated here in Israel brings me new perspective to the way in which we commemorate America's fallen on our Memorial Day, and to the way in which we as a JCC attempt to replicate this collective moment of mourning in some way each year on Yom Hazikaron.
Today felt like I was looking through a kaleidoscope at Tel Aviv - trying to see it clearly, but really only catching sight of fragmented pieces of its past and present.
Our visit to the Palmach museum, which tells the story of Israel's War of Independence, presented in multiple short vignettes was very informative about the War of Independence and gave a more personal perspective of the stories of some of these special forces soldiers.
This was followed by a visit to a tech incubator, highlighting Israel's prevalence as a tech-friendly city for startup success (ranked among the highest, along with San Francisco and Austin), along with some of the premier products and inventions that have come out of Israel over the past decade.
Guy Sharett then took us on a walking tour of Tel Aviv with a focus on Hebrew language learning through graffiti street art. We saw some incredible pieces of artwork, some interesting political commentary, and the beautiful Florentine neighborhood.
After the sun went down, we headed to Rabin Square to join thousands of Israelis in a Yom Hazikaron commemoration ceremony (the beginning of which was televised on big screens in the area as it took place in Jerusalem at the Kotel) that included prayer and lots of somber singing in memoriam of the soldiers and civilians lost in war and acts of terror. The program began with the sound of the sirens across the country, all stopping to pay homage to the moment, to those lost. The feeling of sorrow and connection buzzed through the crowd, almost like an electrical current running between everyone there. During certain songs, it appeared as though the entire crowd was shedding tears together, everyone affected directly by this sense of loss in some way. Witnessing the manner In which this holiday is commemorated here in Israel brings me new perspective to the way in which we commemorate America's fallen on our Memorial Day, and to the way in which we as a JCC attempt to replicate this collective moment of mourning in some way each year on Yom Hazikaron.