Happy New Year & Anniversary to our Israeli-American Friends who got Married in the Golan Heights During the Yom Kippur War of 1973 while serving in the Israeli Army
Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement which began at sundown last evening runs through until nightfall today. The most appropriate greeting for Yom Kippur is G’mar Hatima Tova, which means ‘may you be sealed in the Book of Life.’ The day focuses on introspection, celebration, and beginning the new year—which began on Rosh Hashanah, on September 15 with a clean slate.
Last evening Cecile and I and our son Jason watched the film Golda, the biographical drama depicting the life of Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, particularly during the Yom Kippur War starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Live Shreiber. Faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, Meir must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as millions of lives hang in the balance during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Interestingly enough, our Israeli-American friends Itzik Korakin and his wife Mika’s lives and anniversary literally parallel the same time period. They were both serving in the Israeli Army, which is compulsory for Israeli citizens. Itzik, who was born in August 1950, the same year as me (Our birthdays are two days apart) served the last of his six year commitment—which included three years in military school—in the Golan Heights as an operations officer for a battalion of tanks.
On the eve of Rash Hashanah Israeli TV news did a story about their wedding 50 years ago during the Yom Kippur War at a base camp in the Golan Heights [seized from Syria in the closing stages off the earlier 1967 Six-Day War]. Itzik’s superior arranged the surprise wedding ceremony. After several attempts by Israeli TV who had the original footage to contact Itzik, they finally succeeded. They interviewed him and Mika and arranged for a local photographer to take some current photos. It’s not often that a couple gets married while serving in the Israeli Army and even less common during wartime. Happy Anniversary to Mika and Itzik and their family and congratulations. They have become part of Israeli history with a story to tell.
