TORONTO — The Jewish community in Canada has long taken pride in Israel’s triumphs, so it only makes sense for it to share when it grieves.
On May 4 at 6:15 p.m., expat Israelis along with members of the local Jewish community will gather at the Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto to mark Yom Hazikaron, the official memorial ceremony for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror, sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel.
As many as 2,000 people are expected to attend the event, the Israeli equivalent of Remembrance Day.
Held according to the Hebrew calendar one day prior to Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Hazikaron is a solemn commemoration that precedes the festive celebrations that mark Israel’s rebirth.
The service blends elements of the religious and secular, with Kaddish being intoned and a candle lit in memory of those who have fallen. At the same time, the evening will include a program of Israeli songs.
The day provides an opportunity for people living in Toronto to express their solidarity with the Jewish state.
“It’s like standing with Israel,” explained Nehama Isaak, the IDF and rehabilitation co-ordinator at the consulate.
The program focuses on the sacrifices made by those who serve in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), as well as those killed in terrorist attacks.
One of those who will be remembered is Tom Farkas, an IDF pilot with a connection to Toronto. Farkas, whose family hailed from Israel, was born in Toronto. When he was around eight years of age, the family moved back to Israel. About 10 years later, Farkas joined the air force. He was killed in a plane crash during the second Lebanon war in 2006.
“His grandmother and uncle will light a candle” at the service, Isaak said.
Also participating in the program will be Ofra Roberts, whose brother, Yoav Vaspi, was a decorated hero of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Vaspi’s son, Arnon, was also killed in action, during the 1982 Lebanon War. Roberts will place a wreath on behalf of bereaved families.
Zionist youth groups and organizations advocating on behalf of Israeli soldiers will lay other wreaths, while members of ShinShin, a Hebrew acronym for year of service – a reference to young Israeli emissaries known as shinshinim – will read soldiers’ letters and perform a song written in memory of those killed in military service.
Harold Kimelman, whose daughter, Marnie, was killed in 1990 when a bomb went off on the beach in Tel Aviv, will say Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. And Lee Solomon, a Toronto native currently serving in the IDF, will read a message from Gen. Binyamin “Benny” Gantz, the IDF’s chief of general staff.
Yom Hazikaron is especially significant to Israelis, Isaak explained. “Everybody here has a friend who died or was wounded,” she said.
“For us, as Israelis, it’s like a sacred day,” Isaak said. All Israelis show their respect for the country’s bereaved families and for the soldiers who ensure the country’s security. “It shows the families we’re sorry about their loss and that it is our loss.”
Isaak, who is completing a three-year stint in Toronto and will soon be returning to Israel, said when she first arrived in Canada, she was impressed how local Jews came out in big numbers for Yom Hazikaron events.
They see the importance of a strong Israel, protected by the IDF, as a safe haven for Jews around the world.
“Yom Hazikaron is a good opportunity for the Jewish community to support Israel,” she said.
