Not Handed, But Earned: The Ongoing Story of the Silver Platter©

One of the poems I always read on Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, is called "The Silver Platter" by the Jewish poet Natan Alterman.

And the land grows still, the red eye of the sky slowly dimming over smoking frontiers.

As the nation arises, torn at heart but breathing, to receive its miracle, the only miracle

As the ceremony draws near, it will rise, standing erect in the moonlight in terror and joy.

When across from it, a young man and a young woman slowly march toward the nation

Dressed in battle gear, dirty, Shoes heavy with grime, they ascend the path quietly

To change garb, to wipe their brow

They have not yet found time. Still bone weary from days and from nights in the field

Full of endless fatigue and unrested, Yet the dew of their youth.

Is still seen on their head. Thus, they stand at attention, giving no sign of life or death

Then a nation in tears and amazement will ask: "Who are you?"

And they will answer quietly, "We are the silver platter on which the Jewish state was given."

Thus they will say and fall back in shadows

And the rest will be told in the chronicles of Israel

On November 30, 1947, just one day after the UN passed the Partition Plan, Alterman published a poem, And It Was Evening. People danced in the streets, elated, yet anxious. David Ben-Gurion later admitted he was “scared stiff” that night, aware of what would come next. Chanukah was approaching—the symbolic Yom Ha’atzmaut of the pre-state period—but Alterman’s poetry was not triumphant. It asked: "What now?"

Three weeks later, on December 18, Alterman published The Silver Platter, a poem inspired by the growing cost of the dream. In the two weeks between December 1 and 18, 120 Jews were killed in escalating violence. For a population of fewer than one million Jews in Palestine, this was catastrophic. The poem was written after the funeral of two young Palmach fighters ambushed near the village of Shout—Miriam Shachar and Assaf Shachnai, both just 19. Their bodies could not be retrieved for days, and they were finally buried on Friday, December 12, during Chanukah.

Alterman likely attended the funeral and drew inspiration for the poem's content. But the phrase that inspired the title, The Silver Platter, came from Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, speaking not in Hebrew, but in English—at a fundraising dinner in Atlantic City on December 13, 1947. The New York Times published his remarks on December 14, and Haaretz followed on December 15. Weizmann, speaking to American Jews just weeks after the partition vote, said: “The state has not been handed to us on a silver platter.” It was a call to sacrifice—and to support the emerging nation not just in spirit, but with action.

I could not help but read this poem at a bus stop in Israel, as I stared at bumper stickers with pictures, names, and favorite sayings of fallen soldiers. At every bus stop, there seemed to be no end to the photos and stories; I rarely saw the same stickers repeated.

It is hard to imagine, but today marks 572 days since October 7, 2023. That day began Israel’s war against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran. Although some of Israel’s threats have been neutralized, Israel is still at war, the longest war in the history of the state of Israel. Today, on Israel’s Independence Day, firefighters are fighting blazes intentionally set by terrorists. Soldiers are still battling in Gaza, and 59 hostages are still being held in the worst conditions imaginable by Hamas in Gaza.

It is hard to celebrate amidst the darkness. But, as I learned this week from Rabbi David Rosen, at the AJC Global Forum, “If you’re in the midst of complete darkness, you can either wallow in it, or light a candle.” This is what we have always done as a people.

I saw this on display last night as we made the transition from Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, to Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. The community-wide program, sponsored by Katz Yeshiva High School, was a poignant display of the pain so many of us are feeling. We heard the stories of fallen soldiers and victims of terror, their hopes and dreams never to be fulfilled. They are the silver platter that our state is handed to us on. Considering Israel’s history and the history of the Jewish people, Independence Day should be considered a day when we mark one more year of not only surviving but thriving despite the challenges we face.

I was proud that Congregation Shaarei Kodesh was the only non-Orthodox synagogue to sponsor the event at KYHS. It showed our congregation’s commitment not just to Israel, but to the Jewish people, both abroad and in our own neighborhoods. We may pray differently, observe differently, and dress differently, but in the end, all Jewish souls are connected; we are one, all equal in God’s eyes. Each one of us is a light, and when we come together as one, we shine a torch in a dark world. As Jews, we have no other option.

Wishing everyone a happy Yom Ha'atzmaut, Happy Independence Day, and Shabbat Shalom