Today is the day when the people of the State of Israel share the common experience of being a people who share history and destiny, who are united in honoring those who have lost their lives to acts of terror or in defense of the Jewish homeland.  And those who are mourned are not just Jews.  There is also an increasing recognition of those who survived battles, who witnessed the deaths of others and who suffer from post traumatic syndrome.  In fact, for the first time, when the nation celebrates Yom HaAtzmaut tonight many of the celebrations will not be marked with fireworks out of deference to those for whom it raises difficult memories.  Throughout the day, all of the programs on all the television and radio stations are dedicated to telling the stories of those who have died, with stories about them, poems and songs, all of which help to foster an appreciation of the sacrifices made by so many so that there would be a Jewish state.  And just about every Israeli knows of someone who is memorialized. 

Today we also visited the recently entirely renovated Museum of the Jewish people in Tel Aviv, ANU, what used to be known as the Museum of the Diaspora.  Using the most modern technology, the exhibits show the journey of the Jewish people throughout the ages, with a special focus on how the surrounding cultures influence us, and how we have influenced the world.  As I told the group --  when studying the Jewish experience in so many places, it is interesting to see how different Jewish communities spread across the globe are, and at the same time, how similar we are and how much we have in common with each other.