This week, we observed Israel’s most poignant national juxtaposition: Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, immediately followed by Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. The first is a solemn day of communal mourning and reflection honoring the lives of fallen soldiers and victims of terror. Each year, the nation comes to a powerful standstill during the two-minute piercing siren, a moment that unites Israelis in shared grief. And then, with hardly a pause, the country shifts – from heartbreak to celebration – honoring Israel’s independence and enduring resilience.
The transition from grief to joy can feel jarring. But the deliberate sequencing offers a compelling life lesson rooted in Jewish tradition: we reflect before we rejoice, giving deeper meaning and importance to both.
In today’s hyperintense and often chaotic world, we rarely give ourselves permission to pause. We rush through our days, weeks, and years, often failing to mark our achievements and milestones with intentionality. In her book, “The Amen Effect,” Rabbi Sharon Brous emphasizes the value of acknowledging and affirming others, highlights the need for fostering community and belonging, and encourages us to seek out moments of meaning. Her ideas resonate with the themes of remembrance and celebration; “Amen” in Hebrew means “certainty” or “so be it,” an affirmation of our faith and an expression of agreement with a statement, prayer, or blessing.
Several years ago, I saw the power of intentional pauses for reflection came alive during a visit to Havaya Arts, a Jewish specialty camp launched through Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Specialty Camps Incubator. Under the shade of a majestic oak in Redlands, California, chanichim (campers) and madrichim (counselors) engaged in a daily practice called Selah – a pause at the beginning and end of each day and session. Like the uncertain exact meaning of the Hebrew word often found in Psalms, Selah at camp offered moments of sacred interlude – a break for reflection, connection, and even “selah-bration.”
Watching young people take turns expressing themselves and supporting each other in those moments of pause made a lasting impression on me. It underscored the profound impact of creating a space for communal reflection. Just as Selah provided a time and place for individual and collective processing at camp, the reflective nature of Yom HaZikaron serves a similar purpose for the Israeli people – a day to collectively process loss before moving toward hope.
In our liturgy, Amen and Selah sometimes appear together. It’s not accidental. By doing so, our words gain additional emphasis and amplification. Following a moment of contemplation and reflection (Selah), we acknowledge and affirm life and community (Amen). This rhythm of pause and affirmation mirrors Israel’s national consciousness during these holidays.
After 15 years leading Foundation for Jewish Camp, I recently stepped down from the day-to-day intensity of the CEO role. The past five-plus years – navigating and stewarding the field through the pandemic, California’s destructive wildfires, and the continuing trauma since Oct. 7 – have been all-consuming. With both of our children now living in Israel, our first grandson approaching a year-and-a-half, and another on the way, b’sha’ah tovah, my wife and I need the flexibility to spend more time there.
This transition has offered me my own Selah – a time to reflect, to process, and to give thanks.
From my unique vantage point, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact of Jewish camps across North America. More than places of summer joy, these camps are incubators of Jewish identity, belonging, and leadership. They are the heart and soul of our Jewish future.
These past two months of reflection have filled me with admiration and gratitude for the inspired and tireless work of our many talented camp professionals and dedicated lay leaders, and the generosity of programmatic funders and individual donors. I am proud of all we have accomplished together – raised $250 million since 2010, invested in initiatives to improve mental health, make camps more accessible, and expand capacity, and reached a record-breaking 190,000 participants in Summer 2024 – a true testament to the strength and vitality of this essential field.
The intentional pairing of these two days represents the ultimate example of Selah and Amen; we pause, and then we affirm.
This week, as we commemorated Yom HaZikaron on Wednesday and celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut on Thursday, we witnessed – yet again – how Israel transforms mourning into hope, darkness into light, and memory into mission. The intentional pairing of these two days represents the ultimate example of Selah and Amen; we pause, and then we affirm.
May we each continue to find meaning in our moments of pause, appreciation in our milestones, and strength in the communities we build together. As Israel reminds us, resilience grows not from forgetting the past, but from honoring it as we step forward into the future.
Amen. Selah.
Jeremy J. Fingerman recently concluded a 15-year tenure as CEO for Foundation for Jewish Camp and now serves as FJC’s Senior Advisor.
