Memorial Day
Photo: AFP
Disapora Jews hold special Memorial Day service in English
4,000 Jewish youths and 3,000 Jewish community leaders from around the world come together to honor memory of Israel's fallen soldiers, among them lone soldiers who came from abroad and sacrificed their lives for Israel.
Thousands of Jews from around the world came together on Tuesday evening to honor Israel's fallen soldiers, members of security forces and terror victims in a special memorial service in English.
The ceremony for Diaspora Jews, which is organized by Masa Israel Journey, took place at the IDF Armored Corps' Memorial Site in Latrun.
Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett and Jewish Agency director and Israel Prize laureate Natan Sharansky joined bereaved families, 3,000 Jewish community leaders and 4,000 Jewish youths from the world over to remember the fallen.
"The ceremony we're holding will allow young Diaspora Jews to be real partners in a day that carries immense weight in Israeli society," said Liran Avisar Ben Horin, the CEO of Masa Israel Journey.
"The ceremony, in its unique format, has over the years become an emotional memorial service in which Diaspora Jews bow their heads along with the entire nation of Israel in memory of the fallen," Ben Horin continued.
"Masa brings thousands of participants from dozens of countries around the world to experience with us the Israeli reality during this period of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day, which hold great significance for all of us," he went on to say.
"The events we hold during those days are another link in the chain that we create with dedication throughout the years, and they are meant to continue strengthening the unbreakable bond that every Diaspora Jew has to the State of Israel and the people of Israel."
Interview with father of Sean Carmeli (צילום: שמיר אלבז, אבי חי)
The ceremony featured the story of Sgt. Sean Carmeli, an American lone soldier in the Golani Brigade who was killed in the Gaza Strip during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, alongside other lone soldiers who gave their lives to protect Israel.
The ceremony, which was also held in English, was simultaneously translated into French, Spanish and Russian, and broadcast live to Jewish communities around the world, as well as on Masa Israel's Facebook page.
