THE HOLOCAUST IS OVER WE MUST RISE FROM ITS ASHES

HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD A MAN DIE? H OW MANY TIMES can he die?My father died many times. He died when his liberal Jewish Germany died. He diedseveral more times when he was on the road. A Jew who does not die several timesin his life does not have a life. My father died twice in the twilight of his days: the onebefore the last was on the eve of Independence Day. He was honored with the taskof lighting a symbolic torch during an official ceremony at the Mount Herzl MilitaryCemetery in early evening, between Memorial Day and Independence Day. He wasto stand on the stage and light the flame in front of the nation during a live broadcast,read five sentences that would sum up his nine-plus decades on earth. “In the nameof . . . In the name of . . . And to the glory of the State of Israel.” But Father wasalready very sick. He was busy dying and he was more on the other side. He wasmore unconscious than conscious and breathing irregularly.Mother went to light the flame in his name. Proudly, with a shaking voice, she lit thetorch to the glory of the state. This was poetic justice, as all her life she lived in theshadow of his intense light. Yet she lit the flame this time. Nothing was more Israelithan this torch on that night. She always was ahead of him in being Israeli, and by far.She is Israeliness and he is Judaism; he was in the hospital and she carried the flame.After the ceremony, we crossed the street and sat around his bed. The old lion wasleaving this world. We parted sadly, but feeling comforted and thankful that his