Yom Hazikaron

On Tuesday April 25 HANC high school held its annual Yom Hazikaron ceremony. As is fitting for the occasion, the events scheduled for the day all spoke to the idea of sacrifice. 

Prior to the program’s official opening, Benzi Gadon spoke to HANC Juniors about his time in the IDF, describing his many difficult missions and experiences while fighting in the Yom Kippur War in order to protect the state of Israel, witnessing his fellow soldiers and friends die in the line of duty for the cause. Throughout the war, despite the extraordinary circumstances, Gadon led his unit each day in prayer in order to implore the protection of Hashem. Although it can be so very difficult to listen to the tragedies and trauma of war–let alone give expression to them in a room of young teenagers, Gadon’s speech proved to be both poignant as well as inspirational. It served as a reminder of the sacrifices that come with protecting Israel and offered hope that one day these sacrifices would not be necessary. 

For the Yom Hazikaron ceremony, Morah Aronowits selected students to read poems, sing lyrics, and present other works honoring the fallen soldiers and the day of remembrance itself. Some students read in Hebrew while others read in English, reflecting our unified identity here at HANC. Additionally, Dylan Hamipour, a HANC alumni, was present to provide an extraordinary voice for many deeply-emotional songs of remembrance. 

The ceremony this year specifically commemorated Ilan Ramon, an Israeli fighter pilot and one of the astronaut’s lost in the Columbia disaster, on his 20th Yahrzeit. In addition to eulogizing his loss, the telling of his story gave particular credence to the need to sacrifice and push beyond what we see as boundaries in order to experience the beauty of discovery, hope, and peace.   

As all who were present can attest, this particular Yom Hazikaron was especially meaningful. The HANC community thanks Morah Aronowits and Morah Zucker for organizing it as well as the student volunteers who, in their solemn march to the stage and white outfits, added solemnity to the commemoration.