Mt Herzl Cemetery Jerusalem (Photo: Israel Ministry of Defense)
On the eve of Israel’s national Memorial Day, the Ministry of Defense reported that a total of 24,213 people are officially recognized as martyrs, fallen soldiers and security personnel who died in the line of duty. This figure dates back to 1860, the year the Zionist enterprise first began, so it includes all of the people who died defending the Jewish community in Israel while building the Jewish State.
The Ministry of Defense also revealed that from last year’s Memorial Day until today 59 more people classified as Israeli martyrs were killed. Also in the past year, another 86 disabled IDF veterans passed away due to the wounds they suffered in the line of duty and were recognized as martyrs of Israel’s systems have been added to the number of fallen.
On Sunday, Israeli flags were placed in front of all of the graves at the Mount Herzl national military cemetery in Jerusalem.
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The Ministry of Defense appealed to the Israeli public to honor the memory of the fallen, to stand by the bereaved families and allow them to be united with the memory of their loved ones.
Israel’s leaders from both sides of the country’s political spectrum have called on people not to use the commemorative events on Memorial Day for political protests. A number of government ministers have announced they will not attend ceremonies at military cemeteries so that their presence will not lead to political strife.
The Department of Commemoration and Heritage Families at the Ministry of Defense, the department responsible for Memorial Day events, has completed the preparation of the 52 military cemeteries. Preparations included renovation, accessibility, maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, as well as polishing and replacing damaged or old headstones at the memorial sites, in hundreds of military burial plots and in thousands of scattered graves In localities across the country,
In Israel, Memorial Day is a day of national mourning, which begins Monday night at 8 PM. At that time, sirens will sound nationwide for one minute as Israelis stand in silence in commemoration of the fallen. Another siren will blast for two minutes Tuesday morning at 11 AM.
Monday night all places of entertainment will be closed.
