And now for some blasphemy

I know I am going to take heat for writing this, but here goes nothing.

It's not that I don't think that Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur or the other High Holidays are important -- I do. But on Yom HaZicharon I think you see the heart of the Jewish people in a unique way. I think that this is when you really see what matters. I think this is when you see the best of Israelis because people here are focused on the exact same thing. Many of them do not go to synagogue on Shabbat or observe the bulk of the Commandments, but almost everyone of them has played an active role in what will determine the future well-being of the Jewish people.

Okay, maybe not the extreme haredim, but pretty much every other Jew here.

Of course, at least half of the world's Jews can't see it at all. They are not in Israel. They can't possibly feel the stillness in the air that began last night and is still present at noon today.

No one is out saying Chag Sameach because today, no one here really feels happy. There is an pervasive sadness.

I went with my friend Miriam this morning to watch her daughter's school ceremony honouring the brave people -- soldiers and others -- who died so that we could all live here free and generally safe.

It's an elementary school so the oldest students are in sixth grade. And yet, they know from their families', friends' and neighbours' individual experiences the price that Israel has paid to get to today, hours away from the 66th birthday of the State. Some of the sixth grade boys were apparently dressed in their father's old army fatigues. The sight of them makes you profoundly proud and pained at the same time.

Everyone who has a pre-army aged son has the same thoughts rushing through his or her mind today. Will there be peace before my son is conscripted? Will he get through the army safely? And for those of us who chose to live here, there's the other nagging question: Are we sure we did the right thing? If we are being totally honest, not one of us is prepared to pay the ultimate price.

But at the end of today, as the sun sets and Yom Ha'Atzmaut celebrations begin, we are filled with a sense of pride and purpose that one can only experience living here.

So to all those Jews who live outside of Israel, I feel for you. You have no real idea of what Israel means and the sacrifices many brave souls have made so that you can continue to live your oblivious lives safely in other countries, celebrating Shavuot and Pesach, and whatever. You have totally missed the point of what is holy.