Before the celebrations, we remember

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As I write this, Israel has resumed bombing Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after negotiations for the release of more hostages held by the terror group stalled.

Almost 18 months on from October 7, 2023 (20 months by the time you read this), the scars of that fateful day are still raw. While there were some joyous reunions in January and February as loved ones held in Hamas’s terror tunnels finally came home to their families, there was also anguish and grief as some of those who returned did so to be buried.

Our hearts were ripped apart when the news we always feared regarding the beautiful Bibas family came to pass. As a father, I cannot imagine the reality now faced by Yarden Bibas, and indeed for that matter, Eli Sharabi, whose family was also brutally murdered by Hamas savages.

Then there are also all those whose children never returned from the Nova festival, and those whose children have made the ultimate sacrifice fighting the enemy so that others may be safe.

That fight continues, as it has for 77 years. That is why on the day prior to Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel marks Yom Hazikaron.

Before the celebrations comes the solemn remembrance. Israel and the Jewish world stop, reflect, honour and remember.

There is plenty of time on Yom Ha’atzmaut to marvel at the success of the Jewish nation. A success that saw sand dunes turned into arable land and modern cities; a success built in part by scientists and entrepreneurs that have made the Jewish homeland into a hub of technology, innovation and medical advances.

The success of being a thriving, multifaceted democratic nation where Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Ethiopians, Russians, Israeli Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and more all have a place and contribute to the life of the nation. We can be proud of what the people of Israel have built.

But on Yom Hazikaron, we remind ourselves that none of it would have been possible without the brave men and women of the IDF.

Israel, that tiny nation in one of the most volatile regions of the world, has had more than its share of security challenges. From the War of Independence through to the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, two Lebanon wars, the first Gulf War, two intifadas and now the fifth and most devastating war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel has thrived despite the wishes and attempts of its neighbours to annihilate it.

That Israel not only continues to repel these attempts at its destruction, but responds by succeeding as a nation through all the endeavours mentioned a few paragraphs above, is nothing short of a miracle.

But there is a price for that miracle. That price is paid by those who defend it. Many who have fallen in defence of Israel, including among the 844 since October 7, 2023, were barely adults. They had their whole lives to live. But their sacrifice means the Jewish nation lives, and they will forever be part of its story.

We also remember victims of terror on Yom Hazikaron. Those whose lives were callously taken by monsters with evil in their hearts. They too, including the 1200 murdered on October 7, and the beautiful Bibas family, will also forever be a part of Israel and Jews everywhere.

We pray for a day when Israel truly knows peace. But as long as that remains elusive, there will be brave souls who will sadly fall in its defence. We will continue to remember all of them.

And then we celebrate what they have protected.