Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day)

I had a lesson yesterday (Sunday) because of the holidays this week here in Israel. The lesson was in the city of Modi’in, which is about a 35-45 minute ride from the central bus station. I took a few pictures of some of the plants along the path from the bus stop to my lesson and wanted to share them.

Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day. The day was ushered in last night when, once again, the sirens blew at 8PM. I was on my way back to the apartment and was on a bus at that time. The bus (and all other traffic) stopped in the middle of the street and everyone on board stood silently at attention until the sirens stopped. It was an eerie and moving experience to see everyone in sight paying homage to those who have been killed in all of the wars that Israel has been involved in. Even the Israeli TV stations were off the air for the night. It gave me a sense of the deep respect held by the nation for its fallen defenders.