From Memorial Day to Independence Day

In a few hours, Israel’s Memorial Day will end and Israel’s Independence Day will begin.

As they say here, once the clock strikes 8 p.m. we will change from a drop of red blood on green fabric to a drop of blue hope on white fabric. The colors could not be more different, but their message could not be more intertwined. 

       Today was my first Yom Hazikaron— Memorial Day– in Israel. Today, Mt. Herzl, the military cemetery  transformed from a cemetery to a mourners home. Each grave was now a person, a person surrounded by loved ones, mothers, sons, daughters, and wives. Israel, the fast-paced, won’t-wait-for-a-second, always busy country, stopped. We stopped talking, we stopped walking, we stopped life, and for a minute, we stood in complete silence. And in that silence, through the streaming tears, and broken hearts, a cry could be heard. A cry of a young boy who never had the chance to marry, a cry of a father who didn't have the chance to kiss his little girl goodbye, and the cry of a mother who never stopped waiting for her son to come home. 

       It is with those wet eyes that we must envision a better future, it is with those trembling hands that we must continue to build our country, and it is through those cracks in our broken hearts, that we must let the light of faith shine through.  It is only after proper recognition and gratitude, that we can celebrate and continue to create what we have. 

         If I may, let me ask you a favor, next time your plane lands on this holy soil: Don’t take it for granted. Even if the plane ride was a bit too uncomfortable, or the food didn't come on time, or you had to wait a little extra for the suitcases, don't lose sight of the big picture. Don't forget the young and the pure-hearted. Don’t forget those who have laid down to rest, so that you can come to a country called home. A country that wears the uniform of God. A country that is waiting for its brothers and sisters to come home, a country where green and white fabric seamlessly blend together and create Israel. 

Sabrina Mahboubi recently immigrated to Israel from Beverly Hills, CA.