Gateways to Israeli-Jewish Renaissance

Today, Arnona Paikes passed away at her home in Jerusalem. Her story - and the story of her family - is bound up in the history of Jerusalem and the state of Israel.

In this 2010 interview with her daughter, artist Tamar Paikes, the family's approach to mourning may feel very different from what most Jews are used to.

May Arnona's memory be a blessing, and if you're ever in Jerusalem, remember her if you visit the neighborhood that was named for her!

The Mourning After Her father was killed in the Six-Day War, her older brother in the Yom Kippur War. Then her other brother died in an accident and her sister fell victim to cancer. The siren of mourning on Memorial Day does not, she says, give expression to her pain. This year, Tamar Paikes plans to mark the day by…

As we approach the holiday of Shavuot, we offer a poem by Israeli poet Sabina Messeg that reflects the most common way that Israelis celebrate: by going out to the fields.

Even born-and-bred city-dwellers head to the kibbutzim and moshavim on Shavuot, the holiday of first fruits, when farmers welcome guests and the chance to show off the best of their produce.

In the photo, children celebrate Shavuot dressed in white, picking wheat in the fields of Kibbutz Nirim. (photo by Barel Ephraim)
________
First fruit celebration in the kibbutz

And afterwords we walked hand in hand
in the fields…
yes, they were golden ,
and yes, there was a beautiful ruin

in the strange picture
of a white-haired couple
strolling embraced in the field, singing

each a different song
________
Click here to hear the poem read out loud by the poet: http://www.lyrikline.org/en/poems/10701 #

חֲגִיגַת שָׁבוּעוֹת בָּקִבּוּץ (Sabina Messeg) · Lyrikline.org Sabina Messeg Poems הָעֵט | Translations: envilvתֵּה עֲשָׂבִים | Translations: enlvכליל | Translations: enesמַעְיָן מִרְיָם (עין כרם /ירושלים) | Translations: enfresתְּפִלָּה לְגֶשֶׁם | Translations: enאִם נָכוֹן שֶׁאֲגַמִּים מִיזְדַקְנִים (כנרת) | Translations: enfrlv'סִּירָה בַּת אַלְפַּיִם' | Tra...

"Of all Israel’s festivals, Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) are tied together in an extraordinarily poignant way.

The proximity of the two days, the enormous dichotomy of what they mark and the different rituals that accompany them, led us to create a ceremony that blends together Jewish tradition and modern Israeli culture."

Beit Tefilah Israeli's unique havdallah service marks the transition from a day of sorrow to a day of celebration, and is used in Jewish communities across Israel and beyond.

What rituals or texts help you navigate complex emotions?

Havdalah between Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut | בית תפילה ישראלי - Beit Tefilah Israeli Our transitional service between sorrow and celebration is expanding all over Israel and the world. Find out how you can receive the English version of the

Chodesh tov! For Rosh Chodesh Iyyar - the first day of the new Hebrew month of Iyyar - enjoy this niggun (wordless melody) from the wonderful musicians of Nava Tehila in Jerusalem.

Niggun Iyar