Facebook Post by Rabbi Perlin in the Time of Coronavirus (4/28/2020)
Tuesday Post 4.28.20/4 Iyyar 5780: Yom HaZikaron
by Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, D.D.
It is on my calendar and in my heart. The day before Israel Independence Day is always Israel’s Day of Remembrance. Isn’t that the way it should be? Shouldn’t we remember those who sacrifice their lives so that nations can be free?
And Israel’s soldiers did more than that — they gave all of us, every Jew, a return to our homeland — our birthright.
Today is not a day of politics. We have the ability to gripe about dysfunctional political leaders and an ineffective parliamentary system, BECAUSE they gave their lives.
It IS a day to say that it is time that every Israeli family make the sacrifice to protect the country. Time for the yeshiva boys and girls to do their part. Time to end the exemption that came in a compromise to let women into the army in 1951, so a few orthodox students could study. Today, more than any other day, is a day to realize the sacrifice Israelis make each day to keep the dream of independence alive, and the disproportionate sacrifice made by non-haredi Jews.
As American Jews, we need to be more than grateful. We need to care about Israel. And as proud Reform Jews, we need to support the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism) in its tireless efforts to build a Jewish Israel that is egalitarian, just, pluralistic, and spiritually accessible to all.
As we remember those who gave their lives, we must remember that we are part of the family of Israel, and we must do all we can with all the resources we have to make sure that the soul of Israel remains true to her noble birth.
Today we remember. Israelis get it right. It is not a day for shopping, barbeques, and the start of a three-day weekend. Today is a day to remember — to hold every life precious, for each one was family. Today is a day to recognize the cost of independence, and to remind ourselves that we are obligated to honor that cost with our own lives and actions.
