It is the memorial day for the fallen soldiers of Israel. Today we remember the 22,570 ones that have sacrificed their lives for the creation and survival of the State of Israel. Soldiers, police, mossad agents, shin-bet agents, terrorism victims, pre-1948 underground fighters, etc. The ones who gave their lives for our right to live in our eternal homeland. 133 names were added this year. I am guessing most of them from the recent defence operation against the rocket attacks from Gaza. I wish I could say that I hope it’s over now, and we will see eternal peace from now on. However, I don’t see that. I only see things getting worse and worse. Hamas is further away than ever from accepting our right to exist, and Abbas recently said (excellent timing, by the way) that Israel is not a jewish state. Thankyou for trying to define us, but if you consider yourself living in a post-colonial era, it’s pretty much our own business how we define ourselves. Israel is, has always been, and will always be, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people with its undivided capital Jerusalem.
This is for the friendship of these young people who gave their lives for me, without knowing me.
They are gone from our midst,
All their laughter, their youth and their splendor.
But we know that a friendship like that,
We are bound all our lives to remember,
For a love that in battle is forged,
Will endure while we live, fierce and tender.
translation of lyrics:
In the Negev, the autumn night falls,
And it kindles the stars in the quiet,
As the breeze rustles outside the door
And the dust settles down on the highway.
Time goes on, do we notice at all
How the months have gone by one by one?
Time goes by, there are few of us left,
They will fight till the battle is won.
And so many we once knew are gone.
They are gone from our midst,
All their laughter, their youth and their splendor.
But we know that a friendship like that,
We are bound all our lives to remember,
For a love that in battle is forged,
Will endure while we live, fierce and tender.
Oh, the friendship we bore without words,
It was silent and grey, it was wordless.
From the pain and the blood of those days,
It remains with us, ardent and yearning.
In the name of that friendship we know,
In its name we’ll go on, every forward,
For those friends, when they fell on their swords,
Left us this precious gift to recall them.
They are gone from our midst,
All their laughter, their youth and their splendor.
But we know that a friendship like that,
We are bound all our lives to remember,
For a love that in battle is forged,
Will endure while we live, fierce and tender.
original:
Al hanegev yored leil hastav
Umatzit kochavim kheresh kheresh
Et haruakh over el hasaf
Ananim mehalkhim al haderech
Kvar shana, lo hirgashnu kim’at
Eich avru hazmanim besdoteynu
Kvar shana, vnotarnu meat
Ma rabim sheeynam kvar beynenu
Ach nizkor et kulam
Et yafe hablorit vehatohar
Ki reut shekazot leolam
Lo titen et libenu leshkoakh
Ahava mekudeshset bedam
At tashuvi beynenu lifroakh.
Hareut, nesanukh bli milim
Afora, akshanit veshoteket
Milelot haeyma hagdolim
At noteret adira vdoleket
Hareut, kinaraikh kulam
Shuv bishmekh nekhayekh venelekha
Ki reim shenaflu al harvam
Et khaikh hotiru lezekher
Akh nizkor et kulam
Et yafe hablorit vehatohar
Ki reut shekazot leolam
Lo titen et libenu lishkoakh
Ahava mekudeshset bedam
At tashuvi beynenu lifroakh.
El male rachamim, shochen bamromim, hamtse menucha nechona al knafei hashchina bemaalot kdoshim tehorim vegiborim, kezohar harakia mazhirim, lenishmot hakdoshim shenilchemu bechol ma’arachot Israel, bemachteret uviTsva Haganah LeIsrael veshenaflu bemilchamtam umasru nafsham al kdushat haShem, ha’am veha’aretz, ba’avur she’anu mitpalelim le’ilui nishmoteihem. Lachen, ba’al harachamim, yastirem beseter knafav le’olamim vayitsror bitsror hachayim et nishmoteihem, Adonai hu nachalatam, beGan Eden tehe menuchatam, veyanuchu veshalom al mishkevoteyhem veta’amod lechol Israel zchutam, veya’amdu legoralam lekets hayamin, venomar Amen.
Life and thoughts of a superior being 