R. Avi Strausberg on Yom HaZikaron/Yom Ha'Atzma’ut: At a Distance Ta Shma

I have always found it difficult to find an observance of Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzma’ut that feels meaningful and authentic as a Jew living in the Diaspora. In Israel, the observance of these holidays is effortless and all-encompassing: you simply have to be present and you are in it, flowing from the intensity of Yom HaZikaron to the joy of Yom Ha’Atzma’ut. It’s the music on the radio, it’s the tzfirah (siren) in the streets that brings everything to a halt in a moment of sil...