Modern Era and Jewish Roots

There are a series of historical events celebrated by Jews all over the world in spring. It starts with Passover and ends on the holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost). Biblically, this period is called s’fira, counting ‘up’ from the Jewish people’s physical redemption from Egypt, represented by Passover, to spiritual redemption, represented by Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Ten Commandments.

In between, there are series of national holidays with historical significance to the modern State of Israel and the Jewish people. It starts with Holocaust Remembrance Day that falls one week after Passover and is followed one week later as Israel mourns its fallen soldiers and victims of terror on Israel’s solemn Memorial Day. Immediately after that, we celebrate Independence Day, marking the creation of the State of Israel 69 years ago.

There is significance in the placement of these events on Israel’s national calendar, and it is no coincidence that Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day fall right after Passover. Together, they signify the Jewish people’s physical freedom from the slaveries of post-World War II, in the same way, that Passover symbolises the physical Exodus from Egypt.

The marking of Israel’s history continues soon after Independence Day as Israel celebrates Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, the joyous day in June 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited. Jerusalem Day is often referred to as a military miracle, but perhaps it’s timing, just days before the Pentecost, the Biblical holiday of Shavuot, also has deep meaning. Shavuot, the Pentecost, signifies the Jewish people’s spiritual redemption as they received the

Ten Commandments. Just as the Pentecost signifies the spiritual redemption of the Jewish people after the Exodus, Jerusalem Day is also a spiritual redemption – the holiest point on earth was once again in the hands of Jewish people and the State of Israel. After 2000 years, Jerusalem, the Jewish people’s soul, and spirit was whole once again.

Jerusalem Day 2017 celebrates a homecoming that started 50 years ago, after a journey that lasted thousands of years. That 2000 year road home was long and arduous, sacrifices were made, and precious lives were lost along the way. This year and every year, Israel remembers our sacrifices: 23,544 soldiers lost and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. It has been said that sirens wail on Israel’s Memorial Day to remind Israel of the price it pays for Israel’s existence. As Jerusalem revels in its jubilee, 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem, 50 years of living in our spiritual home, everyone remembers that Jerusalem stands on the shoulders of heroes who paid the ultimate price.