Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut

Well it’s been a busy week, but I am back and blogging. It’s been a busy week with Yom Hazikaron the Memorial Day here in Israel for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and victims of terrorism. It’s a 24 hour period of simply remembering the soldiers who have fought and given their lives for this country which I now live in and for that period, cafes, cinemas and all public entertainment places are closed and even the television reflects the mood of the day. There is also two-minute of silence during the 24 hour period with one at 8pm to mark the beginning of the period and one at 11am and at that point everything comes to a stop, all is silent. It’s amazing to see that as the sirens go, cars that were racing along the streets, suddenly just stop and the drivers get out and stand for a minute. It’s a quite amazing show of respect for the men and women who have died for the State of Israel.
For me I spent the Sunday night in Rabin Square at the "Shirim Bakikar" (Songs in the square) which was a massive concert to mark Yom Hazikaron and as first time I attended it was an amazing experience, it felt like most of Tel Aviv had shown up as the Square was absolutely packed out. The songs reflected the mood and along with stories of fallen soldiers it was an amazing experience finished with the national anthem the Hatikvah. Monday daytime I spent at home just quietly.
Then the mood changed and it was Yom Ha'atzmaut which is the Independence Day here in Israel, celebrating the Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is treated as a holiday by most and it seems as if the mourning mood has past to be replaced by one of celebration. The Israeli flag flies everywhere, from shops, to windows in apartments, from buildings to cars. And the most popular thing to do in this period seems to be to Barbecue in the parks and wherever you can. For me, it was my 1st time in Tel Aviv and like last year where I attended several barbecues, again I did, pretty much think I ate a couple of weeks worth of meat in a 24 hour period. But what more can you ask, celebrating Israel's birthday with friends and food :-).
After all the sadness and the cheerfulness of the beginning of the week, it was back to job hunting and everything else. Pretty quiet week probably due to the days at the beginning of the week but I am persevering and, hopefully having started to settle in Tel Aviv, I can broaden my social network and settle into a job here in Tel Aviv.
P.S. it’s raining!!!!!