This coming week Israel will be commemorating יום הזיכרון /Memorial Day. The very next day is יום העצמאות/ Independence Day. Every year it is a difficult transition between the sadness of Memorial Day to the joy of Independence Day. The State of Israel is a modern miracle. We are here today because of the incredible sacrifices that so many people made and are still making today to build the country and keep us safe.
In honor of Independence Day, I have included two pictures of Israeli wildflowers at the beginning and the end of this post. Thanks to the talented Nava Feldman for the photos.
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| Flower Photos by Nava Feldman |
One of the best ways to learn Israeli history is to a read a book from the series מנהרת הזמן / The Time Tunnel. I wrote about this series in an earlier blog post.
Two ten-year-olds go back in time and learn about Israeli and Jewish history. I recently read vol. 10 דגל הדיו / The Ink Flag about the battle to free Eilat. I learned so much from the book.
The book המדינה של ילדי הגן / The State of Kindergarten Children is a special book for all olim. אמונה אלון/ Emunah Elon writes how a group of kindergarten children builds the State of Israel with blocks and their imagination. The children build buildings, pave roads and plant trees to build Israel. David wants to join the play but he's not welcome. He wasn't there when they "built the nation" so it's too late for him to join in. One girl says to the other children "Aren't you ashamed! There is no country without new immigrants!", David is thrilled to play the role of oleh hadash. Ages 3-5.
דבורה עומר מספרת על בן-גוריון / Devorah Omer Tells the Story of Ben-Gurion is the biography of Israel's first prime minister. What was Ben-Gurion like as a child? When did he move to Israel? Did he have children? What did Ben-Gurion do before he became prime minister? Read the book to find the answers to these questions and much more. Each chapter is one or two pages. Ages 8-10.
בעקבות הבית הנעלם/ Following the Lost House by אורה מורג /Ora Morag is a historical/ mystery book. Three children find a pocket watch in the excavation site of a Jerusalem neighborhood. It turns out to be the watch that Julie Herzl gave her husband, Theodor Herzl. The children learn about Herzl and donate the watch to the Zionist Archives. It's 100 years from the time of the first Zionist Congress organized by Herzl in Basel, Switzerland. The city of Basel invites the children to come to the 100-year celebration. They have a wonderful time there. Ages 9 - 11.
לעזוב בית / To Leave Home tells the story of Glila, a 10-year-old living in Kibbutz Daphna, a kibbutz in northern Israel. Glila is living through the excitement of the creation of the State of Israel and the difficulties and fears of the War of Independence. She and her friends spend quite a bit of time in the kibbutz shelters during the constant shelling. Eventually, they are evacuated to the city of Haifa. Finally, the war ends and the kibbutz buildings are repaired and the children can go home!
The author ינה טפר/ Yona Topper grew up in Kibbutz Daphna during this time period. Ages 10 - 13.
Tip no. 21
Check out the Israel Defense Force's youtube channel. There are some fascinating videos to watch!
!!חג עצמאות שמח
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| Photo from the Government Press Office -Israel Photo by Amos Ben Gershom |
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