Sometime after Pesach, there was a party.
It was a very special party. Shlomo's daughter and her family hosted it & I had the privilege of helping out here & there. What was it all about? I'll tell you.
Shlomo's daughter's husband ( I don't really want to use names here) was part of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) during the Yom Kippur War in the 1970s. It was the surprise war that Egypt & Syria threw on Israel during the holiest day of the Jewish year. Anyhow, he was serving as a paratrooper then along with many others in the Sinai area. If you get a chance, you should read up on what happened because is very fascinating.
So how long has it been since then? Around 40 years?
That is how long since many of his battalion have seen each other. You do not have to imagine the joy & nostalgia of the veterans because I think my photographs depict it quite well. It was an evening full of hugging, laughing, crying, reminiscing, talking & of course eating & drinking. I had an exhilarating feeling being among these brave people who risked their lives for this amazing country. Though I could not understand their Hebrew chatter, I had heard beforehand while working with the family on the photo slideshow of tragic & heroic stories of the men that made it through & also of those that did not.
The weather was excellent so everyone stood outside greeting each other eating finger foods, sipping drinks, signing the guest list & getting name tags (it had been too long since they had seen each other). I was quite the happy camper because the lighting was excellent for photographs. With each new guest that arrived there were joyful shouts & squinting eyes trying to remember who it was.
Once it got dark & cold, everyone went inside & took their seats at the tables already laden with salads, bread & drinks. Music from that other time was queued up & the aforementioned slideshow began showing old black and white photographs from the time they were together. Everyone's eyes were glued to the projector screen. After awhile, heartfelt speeches were made & dinner was uncovered. The rest of the evening was spent catching up with each other. Some had brought more photographs to share with the others.
Shlomo's family really outdid themselves with the arranging & planning. It was such a memorable night for everyone.
