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More Americans Should Take a Lesson From Israel and Find True Purpose on Memorial Day
Lt. Gen. Enzo Vecciarelli, chief of staff of the Italian Air Force, places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Feb. 13, 2017, in Arlington, Va. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery/released.
As we prepare to mark Memorial Day, many Americans are looking forward to barbecues and sales. “To Americans, Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer,” reads a description of the day posted on the websites of US embassies around the world.
That description goes on to say, “But at its heart, Memorial Day is a day when Americans reflect on the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in military service.”
The truth, however, is this latter framing of Memorial Day is mainly relegated to military families and towns that are home to military bases. For most others, remembering those who lost their lives for our country is not more than an afterthought.
For years, as an American, I admit that I almost always didn’t give this a second thought. It was just the way it was. Most major or existential military conflicts happened far away (not a few hours from home) and decades in the past, and even the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan only required a tiny portion of Americans to serve and fight — meaning few have a personal connection to loss or even to military service, or are acutely conscious of its importance.
However, as an American who now lives in Israel, my perspective on Memorial Day, and how we mark it in the United States has shifted dramatically— and not only due to my personal stakes and tragic losses in Israel’s current war. My son is a soldier in the IDF — as are thousands of the students and alumni from the network of educational institutions that I oversee. Sadly, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, we have lost 20 alumni and 38 first-degree relatives of our students and faculty, including many men with wives and families who were serving reserve duty.
This personal connection to service and loss is not unique. Because Israel is a country of only about 10 million people, military service is a requirement for much of the population — and especially due to the ongoing war, most people know someone who has been killed in service to the country.
But putting aside the aspect of personal connection, the day is monumental because of the solemn way Israel marks it; even visitors feel the emotions of the day. Shops and restaurants are closed. Names of the dead are read aloud in public places for hours on end, and at two different points, sirens ring out across the country, and everyone comes to a stop to remember the fallen.
The day is heavy and difficult, but it is also infused with meaning. The knowledge that so many have died — whether recently or decades ago — so that life can continue, is motivating, helping people recognize their talents, opportunities, and blessings. There is also a communal aspect of the day, with the awareness that these sacrifices affect everyone’s ability to live safely and securely, helping create bonds in society, and reducing loneliness in general.
It is this feeling of community and having people they can count on that — year after year — leads to Israel being ranked high in the global happiness index, despite the difficulty of daily life.
This meaning, purpose, and communal aspect of the day is something that we can all learn from, especially in the US, where many suffer from lack of purpose, and loneliness is considered a public health emergency.
Leaders, communities, schools, and even individual families in the US should consider taking small steps to help bring back meaning to Memorial Day.
This can, of course, be done through memorial ceremonies or learning more about the fallen in schools. But it would be most effective if such efforts met most of the public where they will be on Memorial Day — at malls, parks, and on the road to take advantage of the day off from work. Holding a moment of silence or hanging up posters with stories and photos of the fallen would go a long way in reminding people about the true purpose of the day.
Being more aware of these sacrifices could, in turn, be the reminder that many Americans need to appreciate our opportunities despite the clear challenges in our society. It could also be a reminder that we as individuals are not alone, giving us the strength to do our best and continue improving our own lives along with our communities and country. This, after all, is why more than 600,000 Americans have paid the ultimate price since World War I. We must remember that — at the very least on Memorial Day.
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is the President of Ohr Torah Stone, an international network of 32 religious educational, leadership, and social action programs including the Ohr Torah Interfaith Center. He was previously Vice President of Yeshiva University.
The post More Americans Should Take a Lesson From Israel and Find True Purpose on Memorial Day first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Has Accepted Trump’s Gaza Ceasefire Proposal, Foreign Minister Says
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends a press conference with the Danish Foreign Minister (not pictured) in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2025. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard/via REUTERS
Israel has accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump, Israel‘s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, Saar said that Israel was ready to accept a full deal ending the war that would include the release of hostages and Hamas laying down its arms.
According to a senior Israeli official, the latest US proposal calls for Hamas to return all 48 remaining living and dead hostages on the first day of a ceasefire, during which negotiations would be held to end the war.
Hamas said it was studying the latest US ceasefire proposal, delivered on Sunday with a warning from President Donald Trump that it was the Islamist terror group’s “last chance.”
The war began with an assault by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel in October 2023. The attackers killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages to Gaza. Most of the hostages were released in ceasefires in November 2023 and January-March 2025, but the Palestinian terrorist group has kept others as a bargaining chip.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and political rule in Gaza.
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IAEA’s Grossi to Iran: Not Much Time Left in Talks on Nuclear Inspections
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi holds a press conference on the opening day of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
Time is running out in talks between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran on how to fully resume inspections in the Islamic Republic, the watchdog’s chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday, adding that he hoped the discussions would conclude within days.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has not had access to Iran‘s key nuclear facilities since the United States and Israel bombed them in June. Iran passed a law after the attacks suspending cooperation with the IAEA and saying any inspections had to be approved by its Supreme National Security Council.
The IAEA and Iran are now in talks on the “modalities” of a full resumption of inspections, though Grossi says that does not alter Iran‘s duty to allow verification measures such as inspections as a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“There is still time, but not much. Always enough when there is good faith and a clear sense of responsibility,” Grossi said in a statement to a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.
“Progress has been made. It is my sincere hope that within the next few days it will be possible to come to a successful conclusion of these discussions in order to facilitate the resumption, the full resumption, of our indispensable work with Iran,” he added.
Their talks are taking place against the backdrop of Europe’s top three powers having initiated a 30-day process on Aug. 28 to re-impose sanctions on Iran. The curbs were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that unraveled after President Donald Trump pulled the US out of it in 2018.
Those three powers – France, Britain and Germany, known as the E3 – have said they will go ahead with re-imposing sanctions under the so-called “snapback” process unless IAEA inspections fully resume in Iran, and Tehran accounts for its large stock of near-weapons-grade uranium and resumes nuclear talks with the United States.
“I am confident that with these practical steps [on inspections] in place, other important diplomatic consultations and processes will find a more promising ground upon which to advance towards positive outcomes,” Grossi said, apparently referring to broader diplomacy such as Iran-E3 discussions.
In Tehran, Iran‘s foreign ministry said the talks with the IAEA were “positive” but had not yet reached a conclusion and that no specific time frame was determined for the next round of talks.
“On Saturday, the third round of negotiations ended and their results are currently being reviewed in Tehran by relevant authorities and we will announce the next steps when this review is finalized,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference on Monday.
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Israel Vows ‘Hurricane’ of Strikes on Gaza to Force Hamas to Accept Surrender Demand
A missile falls towards a building during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israel said it would step up airstrikes on Gaza on Monday in a “mighty hurricane,” to serve as a last warning to Hamas that it will destroy the enclave unless the terrorist group accepts a demand to free all hostages and surrender.
Residents said Israeli forces had bombed Gaza City from the air and blown up old, armored vehicles in its streets. Hamas said it was studying the latest US ceasefire proposal, delivered on Sunday with a warning from President Donald Trump that it was the Islamist group’s “last chance.”
“A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.
“This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons – or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.”
Katz’s post appeared before reports of a shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem that killed six people including one Spanish citizen. Hamas praised the attackers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombed a 12-floor block in the middle of Gaza City where dozens of displaced families had been housed, three hours after urging those inside and in hundreds of tents in the surrounding area to leave.
In a statement, the IDF said Hamas terrorists who had “planted intelligence gathering means” and explosive devices had been operating near the building and “have used it throughout the war to plan and advance terror attacks against IDF forces.”
According to a senior Israeli official, the latest US proposal calls for Hamas to return all 48 remaining living and dead hostages on the first day of a ceasefire, during which negotiations would be held to end the war.
Hamas has long said it intends to hold onto at least some hostages until negotiations are complete. It said in a statement it was committed to releasing them all with a “clear announcement of an end to the war” and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
OFFENSIVE IN GAZA CITY
Israel launched a major offensive last month on Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of residents are living in the ruins having returned after the city experienced the most intense fighting of the war’s early weeks nearly two years ago.
Residents said Israeli forces pounded several districts from the air and ground, and detonated decommissioned armored vehicles laden with explosives, destroying clusters of homes in the Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, and Tuffah neighborhoods.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump suggested a deal could come soon to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas. An Israeli official said Israel was “seriously considering” Trump’s proposal but did not elaborate.
The war began with an assault by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel in 2023. The attackers killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages to Gaza. Most of the hostages were released in ceasefires in November 2023 and January-March 2025, but the group has kept others as a bargaining chip.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and political rule in Gaza.