Memorial Day for 23544 fallen Israeli soldiers begins Sunday

Events marking Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism will began on Sunday morning with the inauguration of a new memorial hall in Jerusalem.

The inauguration ceremony will commence at 10:00am and will be attended by President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Ministry Avigdor Lieberman, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and other heads of the defense establishment.

Since the beginning of the Jewish Yishuv in the Land of Israel in 1860, 23,544 soldiers have died. Over the past year, 97 have joined the ranks of Israel’s fallen, among them 60 soldiers and 37 wounded IDF veterans who have passed away as a result of their injuries and have been recognized as IDF fallen.

In a letter to IDF soldiers and commanders, IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot wrote that “In their death, the fallen have left us with a legacy and a will—to be the defenders of the people and to hold the sword for its freedom in its land.”

Eisenkot noted that, “With the legacy of the fallen, we are charged to preserve the values they have adopted in their lives—courage and mental fortitude, responsibility and dedication, a sense of mission and belief in the righteousness of the way. The values that beat in the hearts of the fallen are the secret to the strength of the Israel Defense Force to this very day. The IDF spirit is the common language shared by those who serve.”

He called on the IDF’s soldiers to lend a hand to the bereaved families of the fallen. “In their death, the fallen have charged us with one more thing: to stand by their families and accompany them on the journey of life after loss, a journey that began on the day the light of their life was put out. We must continue to support them throughout the year to ease their pain as much as possible,” he wrote.

“Today, we will also remember the IDF’s missing soldiers and the fallen soldiers whose place of burial is unknown, and we will pray that our children return to their own land.”

The IDF announced on Saturday that a closure will be imposed on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be closed during Memorial Day and Independence Day, with all border crossings shuttered. The closure will end at midnight on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. During the closure, only humanitarian, medical and exceptional cases will be allowed through.

At 4pm Sunday, the official opening ceremony for Memorial Day will be held at Yad Lebanim in Jerusalem, with the prime minister, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, and Israel’s Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau in attendance.

At 8pm, a one-minute siren will be sounded across the country in memory of the fallen. It will be followed by the main ceremony at the Western Wall Plaza, during which the president and the IDF chief will light candles in memory of the fallen.

At 9:15pm, the “Songs in Their Memory” event will be held at the Knesset in Jerusalem, with the president, the prime minister, the Knesset speaker, the defense minister, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh and Deputy IDF Chief Yair Golan in attendance.

On Monday, Memorial Day, a two-minute siren will be sounded at 11am in memory of the fallen. It will be followed by a state memorial service at the Mount Herzl cemetery, with the president, the prime minister and the IDF chief of staff in attendance. At the same time, a state memorial service will also be held at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv, which will be attended by the defense minister.

A memorial service for terror victims will be held on Mount Herzl at 1pm.

The Memorial Day events will end at 8pm in a torch-light ceremony on Mount Herzl that would also mark the beginning of Independence Day celebrations.

By Ynet News