By Elan Daniel

Today we spent most of the day in the old city of Jerusalem, exploring the density, diversity, tolerance, and tension of a very important historical site on many levels. Hadarah, our tour guide, referred to Jerusalem as the Disneyland of antiquities, but also a living breathing city that exists on top of layer upon layer of history. Everywhere someone walks in Jerusalem, you are walking near where ancient Jews, Romans, Byzantines, Greeks, Ottomans, Muslims walked. These layers of such an ancient city correspond with the modern moment we are visiting old Jersusalem as we transition from Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day, to Yom HaAtazmaut, or Independence Day. A day of sadness, remembering the fallen soldiers to parties in the street celebrating the existence of a Jewish state.

In speaking with a few of the Israeli staff joining us on the trip about their experience of the juxtaposition between Memorial and Independence Day I found a lot of internal conflict. Oliver, our photographer, asked, how is it possible to put these two emotions so close together? It isn’t natural? But, it isn’t natural to just feel one thing at one time, ambivalence is actually more natural. This acceptance is refreshing. It doesn’t just accept something because it is easier, but actually leans into the difficult ideas that are more accurate.

Stav, a producer, talked about individual emotional experiences and asked why all of Israel was forced to feels these emotions together at a specific time. We all feel these mixed emotions in our own time in our own way, but on Memorial Day and Independence Day, we are asked to feel these emotions as a country, together. To me, this is a very important question and a stark difference from what we experience in the United States. In many ways, the US has become a divided nation. We don’t feel anything communally, we don’t do very much communally, we mostly prioritize privacy and independence. But here in Israel there are many ways the people are forced to be part of what makes up the nation of Israel, not the least of which is military service.

Even though there are two Jews and five opinions, like we heard so often on this trip, there are a few touch points where we are one Jewish nation. Memorial Day, and Independence Day, moving from sadness and stillness into a recognized ambivalence of associated joy. Recognizing that we cannot have the joyful moments without the sacrifice that brings about sadness. This feeling as a nation seems to me, to be a uniquely Israeli experience.