OUR COMMUNITY
Days of BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Detroit prepares a communitywide observance of the Israeli “yoms.”
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APRIL 21 • 2022
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e’re about to celebrate the “yoms.” Three annual observances in Israel, all starting with Yom, meaning “day,” begin the 25th of the Hebrew month of Nisan and continue into the Hebrew month of Iyar. The first day, Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — takes place April 28. Six days later, May 4, comes another day of mourn-
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ing and remembrance, Yom HaZikaron — Day of Remembrance. It memorializes Israeli soldiers who died in defense of the country — they number nearly 24,000 — and victims of terrorism. The following day is a total shift in tone, as Israel celebrates the 74th anniversary of its birth as a modern nation on Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day. What do these Israeli
holidays have to do with Americans? A lot, according to Yiftah Leket, Israel’s shaliach (emissary) to Detroit, who is coordinating a community-wide observance of all three “yoms” that feature a variety of events to appeal to all sorts of people, no matter their denomination, level of observance or political leanings. “These are opportunities for all of us to connect to the state
