Memorial Day In Israel and The United States, Important To Remember

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Memorial Day in the USA, falling on this coming Monday, May 25, 2026 is a solemn federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning U.S.military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. It is distinct from Veterans Day, which is a day to celebrate and thank all American veterans, living or deceased, who have honorably served in the military.  In other words, the veterans who served in the military were one of our most important products of living in a Democratic world.  We must not let our history of such wars and who had fallen in the act of defending us be forgotten.  

Israel has had to fight many wars even before its birth of May 14, 1948 and the many fallen have also been remembered with Israel's Memorial Day, known as Yom HaZikaron, that is a solemn national day of remembrance honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. It takes place annually on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar (Yom HaZikaron) in 2026 was observed from sundown on Monday, April 20 until nightfall on Tuesday, April 21 , which falls one day before Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) to symbolically connect the sacrifices made for the nation's existence to the joy of its independence.  

The Sounding of the Sirens: The most defining features of the day are two nationwide sirens that bring the entire country to a standstill. The first siren sounds at 8:00 PM marking the start of the day, and the second sounds at 11:00 AM. During these two minutes, citizens pause their activities, get out of their cars on highways, and stand in total silence to honor the fallen.                                              

Closures and Broadcasting: By law, all places of public entertainment are closed during the 24 hours of the observance. Radio and television stations alter their programming to broadcast documentaries, stories of fallen soldiers, and scrolls of names rather than regular programming.                            

Ceremonies: Official state ceremonies are held throughout the country, notably at the Western Wall and the national military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Smaller memorial services are simultaneously held in schools, community centers, and local cemeteries.

Meaning of USA Memorial Day: It is a day of reflection and remembrance specifically reserved for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in service to the country.

 Originally known as "Decoration Day" in the post-Civil War era, it was a time for citizens to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with spring flowers.  It is  observed annually on the last Monday in May. Because of its somber nature, it is generally considered inappropriate to wish someone a "Happy Memorial Day." Instead, the proper sentiment is to observe it respectfully or thank a Gold Star family.

Bill Ivey,  an American folklorist and author, was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) ... said, "Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and as we prepare to celebrate what has become the traditional start of summer, I think it is important to pause and reflect on the true meaning of this holiday: it is a time to remember those servicemembers who have died fighting for our country.

The first national observance of those who gave their lives in the defense of freedom was in 1868, specifically honoring the Soldiers and Sailors who had perished in the Civil War. As time went on, and conflicts ensued, we added to that growing list of men and women who had given their last full measure of devotion. The two world wars in the first half of the 20th Century cemented this day of remembrance, and it officially became a national holiday.

A discovery by a Yale University professor at a Harvard archive suggests the earliest observance of Memorial Day was held by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865. Records show that the group transformed a racetrack that had once served as a prison for Union captives into a proper burial site. On May 1, 1865, thousands gathered for a procession led by 3,000 school children carrying flowers and singing patriotic songs.

In 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day when President Johnson signed a presidential proclamation stating Waterloo celebrated the first Memorial Day. That day, in 1866, the city closed all businesses so residents could decorate the gravesites of soldiers with flowers and American flags.   Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery honor fallen U.S. service members. Signature events feature

the solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Memorial Amphitheater, and the iconic "Flags In" tradition where service members place hundreds of thousands of American flags before every headstone

Other records show that the first Memorial Day came after the Civil War, when communities came together at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. It remains one of the country’s most notable Memorial Day ceremonies.

Spies in Israel's World

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Spies in Israel's world operate in two primary contexts: the foundational historical narratives from the Hebrew Bible and the modern, high-stakes arena of international intelligence where Israel's agencies navigate constant geopolitical friction. 

Let's look at the modern era first, Israel’s intelligence network is considered one of the most capable in the world, though the "world of spies" has deeply permeated its domestic borders as well:    The history of Israel's intelligence services dates back to 1929, during the British Mandate in Palestine, many years before the declaration of an independent Jewish state. Conflicts with the Arab population, as well as contradictions with the British authorities, required intelligence assessment to prevent militant attacks on Jewish settlements and to ensure the illegal immigration of Jews into Palestine. It was at this time that the first Jewish intelligence service, the Shai, was established.    Some of the 1st Jewish women were:  

Sarah Aaronsohn (World War I): Often considered one of the first prominent Jewish female spies, she led the Nili intelligence network in Palestine, spying on the Ottoman Empire to assist the British during WWI.

Hannah Szenes (World War II): A celebrated Jewish paratrooper and poet, she volunteered to be dropped into Nazi-occupied Europe by the British to save Hungarian Jews before the Holocaust.

                                

Our new look of Israeli women who can take care of themselves, Ziva David.  Handling Domestic Life: Operating in a normal civilian world while maintaining the high-alert mindset of an assassin.  That's our Ziva.  

• The Mossad: Israel's elite foreign intelligence agency Spyscape is renowned for clandestine operations, counter-proliferation, and targeted operations outside of Israel's borders EBSCO.  Most popular show on TV was the fiction of NCIS, where Ziva David is an elite Mossad operative and the daughter of Mossad Director Eli David. While primarily a U.S. Navy investigative agency, the team frequently collaborates with American CIA officers—such as CIA Director Leon Vance—and the CIA's Middle East division                                 
  
  David Kimche (Hebrew: דוד קמחי; 14 February 1928 – 8 March 2010) was an Israeli diplomat, deputy director of the Mossad, spymaster and journalist. He died at 82.  
• David Kimche: One of the founding fathers of the Mossad. He joined the agency in the early 1950s to devise its operational doctrines before eventually rising to deputy head of the organization.  David Kimche was an Israeli diplomat, deputy director of the Mossad, spymaster and journalist. He is believed to have been the main contact between the United States and Iran during the Iran-Contra affair.                                         
  
  
  
• Isser Harel: Appointed as the director of the Shin Bet in 1948, Harel took over the newly established Mossad in 1952 and became the central figure in shaping Israel's early intelligence and espionage apparatus.  Isser Harel (Hebrew: איסר הראל‎; 1912 – 18 February 2003) was spymaster of the intelligence and the security services of Israel and the Director of the Mossad (1952–1963). In his capacity as Mossad director, he oversaw the capture and covert transportation to Israel of Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann.  He died at 91. 
  
  Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: אֱלִיָּהוּ בֵּן שָׁאוּל כֹּהֵן,  lit. 'Elijah, son of Saul, priest ‎26 December 1924 – 18 May 1965) was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. He is best known for his espionage work in Syria between 1961 and 1965, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.
• Eli Cohen was a legendary Israeli Mossad spy who successfully infiltrated the highest levels of the Syrian government and military in the 1960s. Born in Egypt to a Jewish family of Syrian descent, he provided critical intelligence that greatly aided Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.  
• The Arab Section: The fascinating origins of modern Israeli espionage lie in a ragtag unit formed prior to the 1948 War of Independence, consisting of Jews native to the Arab world who operated undercover in places like Beirut Columbia University.
• Internal Espionage & Recruitment: Counterintelligence has faced severe challenges due to hostile nations successfully recruiting Israeli citizens for financial gain. For example, hostile intelligence operatives have used "honey traps" Spyscape and financial incentives to lure Israelis into photographing military installations and leaking state secrets. My first thought is how can any Israeli do such a deplorable thing?  
• Iranian Spy Rings: In 2024, seven Jewish Israelis were arrested for spying for Iran. They allegedly gathered intelligence on IDF bases and high-profile security figures in exchange for payment from Iranian agents.
• Recruitment of Iranian-Israelis: The Shin Bet has uncovered multiple attempts by Iranian intelligence to recruit Jewish Israeli citizens, particularly those of Iranian descent visiting family in Iran, offering them money to provide information or carry out missions.
  
  Ben Alon/Allen/Burrows born 9 December 1976, Melbourne, Vicoria, Australia d: 15 December 2010 at 34 in Ramla, Israel; one of the new generation, devoid of feelings for the need of Israel, I bet.  
• Ben Zygier ("Prisoner X"): An Australian-Israeli Mossad agent who was arrested in 2010 for allegedly "violating the code of silence". While the full details remain classified, his case highlighted the vulnerability of Jewish recruits from abroad who may have conflicting loyalties.

In the Bible, "spies" typically refers to the twelve Israelite leaders (one from each tribe) dispatched by Moses to scout the Promised Land of Canaan. While their report led to a pivotal crisis of faith, the later Book of Joshua features another pair of spies crucial to the conquest of Jericho.

Countries treating Others Like "Chopped Liver"

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

     Greenland and Denmark's real estate going up:  President Trump's renewed efforts to acquire or gain control of Greenland remain a major geopolitical flashpoint, driven by the island's strategic location, natural resources, and the prospect of expanding the U.S. military footprint.  Rejection by Greenland: Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has strongly pushed back on U.S. pressure, reiterating that "the people of Greenland are not for sale" and that Greenlanders have the right to self-determination.  Evidently they are not going to be "chopped liver."

When nations treat others like "chopped liver," they are treating allies, neighbors, or smaller states as insignificant, easily replaceable, or unworthy of respect. This dynamic surfaces frequently in geopolitics and international relations.  The phrase "What am I, chopped liver?" comes from American Jewish humor and the culinary tradition of serving chopped liver as a side dish or appetizer rather than the main course. It is used to express frustration or feeling overlooked when someone else receives more attention or recognition.  

James Francis Durante Italian: February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and prominent nose helped make him one of the United States' most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. He often referred to his nose as the schnozzola (Italianization of the American Yiddish slang word schnoz, meaning "big nose"), and the word became his nickname.

The iconic phrase "What am I, chopped liver?" was popularized by Jewish comedians in the Borscht Belt of New York's Catskill Mountains during the 1930s. The late comedian and entertainer Jimmy Durante is famously credited with bringing the expression into the mainstream, using it on his 1954 television show.

Front Row:   England's Prime Minister at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 was Winston Churchill. He attended the historic meeting alongside U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe.  Superpower Disregard for Allies: Major powers (e.g., the United States, Russia, China) are frequently accused of treating smaller alliance members like side dishes. A prime historical example is the Yalta Conference, where spheres of influence over Eastern Europe were decided by the "Big Three," often ignoring the sovereignty of the affected nations.  

US President Donald Trump's new tariffs on imports from more than 90 countries have come into effect.

The tariffs mean companies that bring foreign goods into the US will have to pay the taxes to the government, and experts say these companies may pass costs on to consumers.

Brazil faces one of the highest US tariff rates in the world, with a 50% rate applied to most goods.

India is also set to be hit with a 50% rate, effective from 27 August.

Negotiations are still under way, with both Washington and Beijing agreeing to delay any new tariffs until 12 August.  

Economic Sanctions and Trade Wars: When economic heavyweights implement tariffs or sanctions without consulting trading partners, it sends a strong message of disregard. For instance, U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs or the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) frequently draw criticism from trading partners who feel their economic stability is being treated as an afterthought.

Regional Hegemons and Minorities: In conflicts across the Middle East, the Caucasus (such as the dynamics between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh), or Africa, regional powers often ignore the rights of smaller ethnic enclaves or bordering states to secure their own territorial or strategic goals.

Global Summit Exclusions: When climate pacts or security agreements are negotiated exclusively by the world's largest emitters or nuclear powers, leaving vulnerable developing nations to deal with the consequences, it is frequently characterized diplomatically as treating those smaller nations like chopped liver.  Right now this might apply to how the UE feels towards Iran who has or had been developing nuclear powers.  The threat is still there.  The UE is part of the Abraham Accords and is friends with Israel.  

President Trump told reporters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will do whatever I want him to do" regarding Iran after a tense and "dramatic" phone conversation. The comments were made as the Trump administration pursued diplomatic talks with Tehran, which initially sparked a disagreement with Jerusalem,

In diplomacy, being the side dish usually translates to being ignored until you are needed, bypassed on critical decision-making, or sacrificed to appease a larger adversary.  This can apply to any ongoing business and their customers, as well.