Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, is set aside for the nation to remember and honor those who have sacrificed their lives while fighting to ensure a good future for their fellow countrymen. It is a day set aside for reflection on the price that defending one’s country has cost its citizens and families.
Israel is a small country, comparable in size and population to the state of New Jersey, with approximately 8.5 million people. Most Israelis have relatives or close friends who have died defending the nation.
Because there is such an intimate connection between the population of Israel and those who have died protecting her, Israel is serious about its memorial day. It is not about having a day off work, a long weekend, barbecues, or picnics, as memorial days can devolve into in large countries where the majority of the population is emotionally disconnected from the lives lost for their nation’s sake. On Yom HaZikaron, all places of entertainment in Israel are closed. It’s the law. Restaurants and shops are closed as well, by tradition.
The memorial day begins at sunset with the two-minute howl of an air raid siren, to which all Israel stops their activity, and stands in honor and respect for the fallen whose service cultivated the freedom they know today. The Israeli flag flies at half-mast. Radio and television stations air stories of past wars and programs fitting for the somber tone of the day. One television station plays a scrolling list of names of soldiers who died fighting to defend Israel’s freedom. Such lists are also read at memorial services in schools and synagogues on Yom HaZikaron. Many families include the reading of names in their personal memorial times. Since the Second Intifada (Arab spree of violence against Israelis) these lists have expanded to include those who lost their lives defending Israel’s public places from terrorist attacks. A second siren blasts on Yom HaZiKaron before prayers at services in military cemeteries.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library:
- 24,969 Israelis have been killed in wars and terrorism from 1920 - 2014
- 36,260 Israelis have been wounded in wars from 1920 - 2014
- 3,791 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian terrorism from 1948 - 2014
At the end of Yom HaZikaron day, the Israeli flag is raised high once again, signaling the nation to lift their hearts from mourning to rejoicing at the beginning of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. First, Israel honors. Then, Israel celebrates.
