The Mayanot Blog

By: Chelsea Shar, Current Mayanot Student
Dotted around raised, beige-coloured stone graves of those fallen soldiers and fighters, are olive green, tan and white uniforms of those living, fighting soldiers. The contrast is most compelling. For every soldier the tacit protocol at Mount Herzl elicits rolled down sleeves; buttoned-up and tucked-in shirts; and hats firmly mounted on heads (as opposed to being strapped on shoulders).
Yom Hazikaron is literally translated as Remembrance Day. It is a day dedicated to every official and unofficial soldier and civilian killed while protecting the land of Israel whether in action or spirit; war or terrorist attack. Like all war memorial cemeteries, being buried on Mount Herzl is a commendable tragedy. I feel extremely privileged and honoured to have experienced this juxtaposition. Living in Jerusalem, studying at Mayanot and attending the Mount Herzl Yom Hazikaron ceremony I felt, and still feel, extremely connected to Israel and Am Yisroel.
Our…

Most people baptized in the Catholic Church don’t come to Hebron seeking “Grandma and Grandpa,” but then, most people are not Jeremy Hoover.

Jeremy was born to a Christian father and a Jewish mother and growing up in Boulder, Colorado considered himself half-Jewish at most. He attended Catholic schools until college, where he studied journalism.

“I was always very spiritual and believed in a higher being”, says Jeremy, who first came to Israel on a Birthright trip, mostly because it was a free vacation from his communications job in local government. “At first I thought, no way they’re going to accept me; I’m baptized, and Catholic.” However, due to his Jewish parentage, Jeremy and his sister soon found themselves touring the holy land.

When he met the soldiers who accompanied his birthright trip, his perspective began to change. “It was cool to see that Israel was part of their identity,” says Jeremy, and he decided to get to know the country more.

  It was a different sort of con…