Today we are delighted to cast a spotlight on Dr. Andy Symons who earlier in the week shared personal reflections at the community Yom Hazikaron commemoration at Temple Beth Zion. Below are excerpts from his comments.
…I first encountered Israel as a high school student. I was active in the youth group of my Reform congregation in Lynbrook, Long Island. When I was in 11th grade, my family hosted Arieh, an exchange student from the Ben Shemen Youth village. Arieh later went on to be one of the founders of Kibbutz Lotan, the second Reform movement kibbutz near Eilat. I then spent a semester of my senior year in Israel, living on kibbutz and in Jerusalem. I returned to Israel to complete my degree in political science at the Hebrew University. In the following years I worked in informal education, leading student groups from the US, as well as groups of immigrant students from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. I was one of the first people to work in Israel’s cable television industry, helping to import and translate TV shows I had grown up with in the US. I also served as a combat medic in the Israel Defense forces. That experience led to my eventual decision to return to school and study medicine (which brought me to Buffalo in 1998).
One thing I have noted about Yom Hazikaron this year is that, whereas traditionally this is a single intense day of remembrance, where TV and radio are dedicated to stories of the fallen, this year, Israel and the Jewish people have been experiencing Yom Hazikaron daily since October 7. This year, 766 soldiers were killed in service, bringing the total to 25,040 who have died in service since 1860. According to the National Insurance Institute, 834 civilian terror victims were added to the ranks, bringing the total civilian deaths to 5,100 since 1851.
Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, was also different this year. The commemoration usually begins at the close of Yom Hazikaron with Yizkor, then a festive televised ceremony where twelve torches are lit by people who have contributed to Israeli society. This year, the ceremony was prerecorded, and all those chosen to light candles displayed acts of heroism on or around October 7. Yom Ha’atzmaut is usually celebrated with local concerts and lots of parties. Celebrations were far more subdued this year. There are those who ask how we can celebrate independence when tens of thousands of Israelis are displaced from their homes in the north due to the ongoing threat from Hezbollah, and the continued conflict with Hamas in the south. Even more, how can we rejoice when 132 hostages are still captive in Gaza?
The kibbutz I lived on in High School was Kibbutz Nir Oz, an idyllic place bordering Gaza, that was decimated on October 7. Of the 400 residents, around 40 were murdered, and around 80 were taken captive to Gaza. One of those hostages is Sagui Dekel Chen. Sagui is thirty-five. He is the son of Jonathan Dekel Chen, my friend who was with me on kibbutz when we were teens, and who stayed and raised a family on Nir Oz. Sagui is a social entrepreneur. His pet project is repurposing decommissioned busses to serve as mobile classrooms or groceries for communities that have no supermarket, including the Arab sector. On October 7 he was working on a project when he realized the kibbutz was under attack. He rushed home to secure his wife Avital, who was 7 months pregnant at the time, and his two young daughters, in their safe room. Sagui has not been heard from since that day, except from hostages who returned early December and reported seeing him captive in Gaza. During his captivity, Avital gave birth to their third daughter, Shahar Mazal. Avital’s saga and the birth of their daughter during Sagui’s captivity was one of those stories on the news which touched the hearts of a nation.
As a Jewish nation, this Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Hazikaron, we are all only a few degrees of separation from the suffering of our friends and family in Israel. This year we commemorate our independence. I hope that next year, with the return of the hostages, we can begin once again to celebrate that independence.
