Yom Haatzmaut Through the Eyes of a TRY-er

Written by Michael Seidenfeld (METNY)

Yom HaAtzmaut in Israel is quite a unique experience. Sure, we have 4^th of July in America, but the passion and meaning is nowhere near the same level as in Israel. First, it starts off with Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance, the day before. On this day Israelis commemorate all the fallen soldiers, which sadly tends to be a very close-to-home issue in a country like Israel.

         
But, as the sun goes down and services end, it’s like you switch between two different worlds. Almost instantly Israel becomes one massive party. The streets of Ben Yehuda are filled to the brim with people all dancing, singing, and rejoicing. There’s music and DJs at every corner, people are spraying confetti everywhere; it’s as if the entire nation of Israel becomes one big nightclub overnight. All through the night people carry on like this, until the next day comes and the festivities continue. The custom is to have a big barbeque (like in the US), so during my time in Israel on TRY, we went to the beach for the day, hanging out in the sun, a grilling up chicken. It was an amazing experience unlike any other.

     
Nowhere else have I felt such a sense of community and camaraderie with total strangers. It was certainly an experience I’ll remember and cherish forever.