What is Yom HaZikaron? Yom Hazikaron (the Day of Remembrance) opens with a minute-long siren at 8:00 pm. There are remembrance ceremonies throughout Israel that take place in the evening in addition to ceremonies throughout the following day. The country’s main nighttime ceremony takes place at the Western Wall and the main day time memorial service occurs on Mount Herzl (the official military cemetery.) At 11 am, there is another 2 minute-long siren that is sounded. All places of entertainment are closed and television channels play the names of every fallen soldier. The day ends with a Tekes Ma’avar (transitional ceremony) into Independence Day that takes place on Mount Herzl. https://www.lookstein.org/holiday-resources/yom-hazikaron-resources/
Yom Ha’azmaut is the official Israeli Independence Day, celebrating the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. On the Hebrew calendar, its official date is the 5th of Iyyar. This year, Yom Ha’azmaut falls out on the evening of ... until the following evening. In Israel, Yom Ha’azmaut starts off with a Tekes Ma’avar (transitional ceremony) from Yom Hazikaron. Many religious Zionists will participate in a celebratory prayer service that evening and the following morning, during which Hallel is often recited. Yom Ha’azmaut is a day off for Israelis and many people celebrate it by spending the day with their families and having a barbecue at the park. https://www.lookstein.org/holiday-resources/yom-haatzmaut-resources/
| Tekes Ma’avarטקס מעבר | The ceremony that takes place as a transition between Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut. Israel’s official ceremony takes place on Mount Herzl, where they remember the fallen and also rejoice in the present by celebrating outstanding individuals in the State of Israel and performing songs and dances. https://www.lookstein.org/holiday-resources/yom-hazikaron-resources/ |
Ka’et Ensemble: a contemporary dance company of religious Jewish men from Israel...Dance and devotion have a long, rich relationship in Judaism. And dance continues to be used by some groups, including the Hasidim, as a form of ecstatic spiritual expression. For the members of Ka’et, all of whom identify as dati leumi, or religious Zionists (akin to modern Orthodox in America), dance also offered a way into prayer. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/arts/dance/kaet-all-male-religious-troupe-heroes-jcc-manhattan.html
1. What did you notice during this dance? What did you see, hear, or feel?
2. Did you like it? Why or why not?
Trope/Nusach: Traditionally prayers in Judaism are chanted or sung rather than being read. Some people train to become a hazzan or hazzanit, which means they are trained to lead services and read the Torah using the traditional nusach or trope (tunes for prayers and reading the Tenakh). There are different types of nusach or trope depending on different Jewish backgrounds, whether a community is Sephardi, Ashkenazi or Mizrahi or even whichever specific country they come from. https://jewishmuseum.org.uk/schools/asset/hear-chanted-prayer/
1. How does incorporating trope into the music for the dance affect the person watching the dance/listening to the music?
2. Why do you think this dance company chose to use Ashkenazi trope as the background music for their dance?
(א) הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָזָ֔ה יְשַֽׁעְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־אָמ֑וֹץ עַל־יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (ב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֗ים נָכ֨וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֜ה הַ֤ר בֵּית־יְהוָה֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הֶהָרִ֔ים וְנִשָּׂ֖א מִגְּבָע֑וֹת וְנָהֲר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ (ג) וְֽהָלְכ֞וּ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֗ים וְאָמְרוּ֙ לְכ֣וּ ׀ וְנַעֲלֶ֣ה אֶל־הַר־יְהוָ֗ה אֶל־בֵּית֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְיֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ מִדְּרָכָ֔יו וְנֵלְכָ֖ה בְּאֹרְחֹתָ֑יו כִּ֤י מִצִּיּוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה וּדְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
(1) The word that Isaiah son of Amoz prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (2) In the days to come, The Mount of the LORD’s House Shall stand firm above the mountains And tower above the hills; And all the nations Shall gaze on it with joy. (3) And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, Let us go up to the Mount of the LORD, To the House of the God of Jacob; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction/Torah shall come forth from Zion, The word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
1. How does the first verse connect to the Tekes Ma'avar?
2. When verse 3 was being chanted, the directors chose to project images of Hebrew letters on parchment onto the stage. Why do you think they made this artistic choice?
3. What does it mean to walk in God's paths? Why would this idea be important to the dancers or the audience?
(ד) וְשָׁפַט֙ בֵּ֣ין הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְהוֹכִ֖יחַ לְעַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂ֨א ג֤וֹי אֶל־גּוֹי֙ חֶ֔רֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְד֥וּ ע֖וֹד מִלְחָמָֽה׃
(4) Thus God will judge among the nations And arbitrate for the many peoples,
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not take up Sword against nation; They shall never again know war.
1. What is the message of this verse?
2. How does this message connect to Yom HaZikaron?
3. During the line, "and they shall never again know war," the dancers beat their chests like we do when confessing our sins on Yom Kippur, or during the daily prayer of repentance known as Tachanun. Why do you think the directors chose to pair this specific movement with these words?
Concluding questions:
1. How was your experience watching the dance a second time different from the first time you watched it?
2. How does the Isaiah text enhance the meaning of the dance?
3. Do you think this dance, music, and text were a good fit for the Tekes Ma'avar? Why or why not?