04/27/2022
Yom Hazikaron in Cleveland Back In Person, Virtual
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COURTNEY BYRNES | STAFF REPORTER
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
An Israel Defense Forces delegation to Cleveland leads the community in a Jewish Federation of Cleveland flag procession to commemorate Yom Hazikaron April 17, 2018. CJN Photo
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Yom Hazikaron commemoration will return in person at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood May 3 with sirens, memorial prayers, readings, songs, videos and speakers.
The ceremony, which typically is attended by over 200 people, has been completely virtual for the past two years, but will be in person again this year with a virtual option for those who wish to watch from home.
“One of the most beautiful pieces of this ceremony in the past has been this real sense of community, of bringing together Clevelanders and bringing together many Israelis who live in Cleveland to honor and commemorate those lives lost,” Tal Rothstein, director of the international programs at the Federation, told the Cleveland Jewish News April 25. “And we’re really looking forward to that sense of community in person.”
Milgrom
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Yom Hazikaron commemoration will return in person at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood May 3 with sirens, memorial prayers, readings, songs, videos and speakers.
The ceremony, which typically is attended by over 200 people, has been completely virtual for the past two years, but will be in person again this year with a virtual option for those who wish to watch from home.
“One of the most beautiful pieces of this ceremony in the past has been this real sense of community, of bringing together Clevelanders and bringing together many Israelis who live in Cleveland to honor and commemorate those lives lost,” Tal Rothstein, director of the international programs at the Federation, told the Cleveland Jewish News April 25. “And we’re really looking forward to that sense of community in person.”
“There will be wreaths brought and laid by representatives of the community, both Israeli-Clevelanders and non-Israeli Clevelanders,” said Milgrom, a Beachwood resident and member of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike. “There will be songs from the Israeli shlichim, the emissaries for Israel in Cleveland, and a couple of videos as well that come from Israel that they are going to present.”
Rothstein
The wreath layers will be Beverly and Dennis Seaman, Andrea Litvin, Sydney Ungar and Ben Milgrom. Part of the delegation of shlichim are singers Avigail Botnik and Shir Zukerman, who are volunteering for a year before joining the Israeli army and will be accompanied by guitarist Itay Margalit, the community shaliach.
Itay Adaya, another shaliach, and Noah Tanenbaum will be reading a piece in English and Hebrew, and Ianina Dano will be singing HaTikvah.
During the ceremony, one of the songs will pay tribute to the 14 most recent victims of terror in Israel.
“Since March, Israel has been experiencing this wave of terror attacks throughout the country, so we are going to take a moment during the ceremony to recognize the most recent 14 victims,” said Rothstein, a Cleveland Heights resident and member of The Temple-Tifereth Israel.
Yom Hazikaron is commemorated two days before Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s independence day celebration, both major Israeli holidays.
“You have these two really significant, two of the most significant events that are not major Jewish holidays, and it’s important,” she said. “We recognize, we honor and commemorate the lives we lost right before we celebrate Israel, and I think that juxtaposition of the two is so beautiful and significant, and purposefully so.”
If You Go
WHAT: Yom Hazikaron commemoration
WHERE: Virtual or in person at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, 26000 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood
WHEN: 7 p.m. May 3
REGISTER: To register, visit bit.ly/3ENmo8I
