Israel marks Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and terror victims
Israel commemorates the 23,447 IDF soldiers and civilian terror victims killed from 1860 to today with ceremonies on Mount Herzl and the Western Wall plaza, along with other events.
Sixty-eight casualties were added to the count since last year's Memorial Day, and another 59 soldiers succumbed to their wounds incurred during their IDF service. The official number of bereaved families in Israel in 2016 is 16,307, of which there are 9,442 bereaved parents, 4,917 widows, and 1,948 orphans.
Memorial Day events began Tuesday afternoon with a ceremony at Yad LaBanim in Jerusalem attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Ministry Director-General Dan Harel, and other high ranking officials. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat delivered remarks at the ceremony.
The last major event of the day Tuesday was "Songs in Their Memory," which was held at the Knesset plaza and attended by hundreds of members of bereaved families. The event was a joint initiative of the Knesset, the Defense Ministry Directorate of Families and Commemoration, and the Terror Victims Directorate of the National Health Insurance. President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu attended the event that included, instead of speeches, poems read by Knesset Speaker Edelstein, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Deputy IDF Chief Yair Golan, and Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh. Israel singers Shiri Maimon, Ninet Tayeb, Harel Skaat, Idan Haviv and Uziya Tzadok also participated, along with military bands.
An alternative memorial service was held in the central Chen Hatzafon synagogue in Petah Tikva, and included classes, lectures and discussions on current events. Lt.-Col. Shai Siman Tov, the commander of the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion who was critically wounded during Operation Protective Edge, spoke at the service. Also in attendance were former Shin Bet chief MK Avi Dichter, Chief Military Rabbi Brig.-Gen. Rafi Peretz and others.
Memorial Day's events on Wednesday will start with a two-minute siren in honor of the fallen at 11am, followed by a state memorial ceremony for Israel's fallen soldiers on Mount Herzl. President Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Eisenkot, Supreme Court President Miriam Naor and members of bereaved families will be in attendance.
At the same time, memorial services will be held at military cemeteries and plots throughout the country. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon will attend the ceremony at the Givat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv.
A memorial ceremony for terror victims will be held on Mount Herzl at 1pm.
