This week the School moved from the sombre commemorations of ANZAC Day and Yom HaZikaron to the celebration of Israel’s 77th Yom HaAtzmaut.

Our Jewish tradition impels us to recognise the complexity of human emotion and I feel that this is especially the case this Yom HaAtzmaut. We are reminded that even in the times of the greatest joy and the most heart wrenching grief we are required to take pause to experience the opposite emotion. For instance, we are required to cessate from the week of Shiva following the death of a close relative to observe Shabbat. By contrast, at a wedding, a time of ecstatic joy, we take a moment to break a glass which symbolises the incompleteness of the world.

For many, the joy of this Yom HaAtzmaut is tempered by the ongoing plight of the remaining 52 hostages, the tragedy of the longest war in Israel’s history which has caused so much suffering and devastation to both Israelis and Palestinians, the virulent spreading of antisemitism and the schisms that have emerged in Israeli society and the Jewish world. 

However, as our tradition compels us not to wholly submit to grief, I feel that there is still so much to celebrate this Yom HaAtzmaut.

I am reminded that we are among the few generations in the last two thousand years that have had a Jewish homeland to celebrate. The connectedness between the Jewish people and the land of Israel lies at the center of our liturgy, culture, customs, literature and art. Since 73CE our people have yearned for a return to Zion. 

For most of us, Israel is central to our sense of Jewish identity and to our conception of ourselves as a people.

We must not take for granted that we have the opportunity to maintain a real and living connection as part of our ongoing lives in a way that we were denied for millenia.

On this Yom HaAtzmaut, I am celebrating the rebirth of the Hebrew language, the extraordinary and unique character of the Israeli people and the momentous contributions of Israeli innovators, artists and thought leaders to the betterment of humanity. 

I celebrate Israel’s delicious and distinctive food, the evolution of its song, and the wonderfully sharp Israeli humour. I celebrate the diversity of Israel’s society and the capacity of a shared purpose to unify so many of differing backgrounds.

Since the devastation of October 7, 2023, we have been frequently reminded of the enormous challenges that have beset Israel and the Jewish people. Nonetheless, it is vital that we take the time to remind ourselves that we still have so much to be grateful for and to invest in hope, in Hatikva for a brighter future.

Shabbat Shalom v’chag atzmaut sameach,

Marc Light
Principal