Yom HaZikaron (), in full, ''Yom HaZikaron LeHalelei Ma'arkhot Yisrael ul'Nifge'ei Pe'ulot HaEivah'' (), is

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

's official day of remembrance for fallen Israeli soldiers and terrorism victims, enacted into Israeli law in 1963. While Yom HaZikaron has been traditionally dedicated to fallen soldiers, commemoration has also been extended to civilian victims of terrorism.

History

In 1949 and 1950, the first two years after the declaration of the State, memorial services for soldiers who fell in the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

were held on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

. Services at military cemeteries were coordinated between the IDF and the Ministry of Defense. A concern arose, expressed by families of fallen soldiers, to establish a separate memorial day observance distinct from the festive celebrations of national independence. In response, and in light of public debate on the issue,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...

– also serving as Minister of Defense – established in January 1951 the "Public Council for Soldiers' Commemoration". This council recommended establishing the 4th of Iyyar, the day preceding Independence Day, as the "General Memorial Day for the Heroes of the War of Independence". This proposal won government approval that same year. In 2023, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism announced a new policy that non-Israeli Jewish victims of antisemitic terror attacks outside of Israel should officially be mourned as part of each year's Yom HaZikaron commemoration. The policy was conceived as a way for Israel to demonstrate solidarity with the

Jewish diaspora The Jewish diaspora ( ), alternatively the dispersion ( ) or the exile ( ; ), consists of Jews who reside outside of the Land of Israel. Historically, it refers to the expansive scattering of the Israelites out of their homeland in the Southe ...

Observance

Yom HaZikaron is the national remembrance day observed in Israel for all Israeli military personnel who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for those who have been killed subsequently while on active duty in Israel's armed forces.'' Encyclopedia Judaica'', vol. 16, p. 846 (1971) As of Yom HaZikaron 2022, that number was 24,213.

Preceding evening

The day opens with a siren the preceding evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), given that in the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...

system, a day begins at sunset. The siren is heard all over the country and lasts for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything, including driving on highways, and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect. By law, all places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, and broadcasting and educational bodies note the solemnity of the day. Regular television programs cease for the day, and the names and ranks of every soldier who died for Israel are displayed in a 24-hour television broadcast. Since the founding of the state, Israel has chosen the Red Everlasting flower (, , 'blood of the Maccabees') as the national memorial flower. The flower is depicted in many memorial sites and can be seen worn as stickers on shirts and jackets throughout Yom HaZikaron. Since 2019, the non-profit organization , has been distributing pins with the real Red Everlasting flower throughout Israel and the United States.

Main memorial day

A two-minute siren is sounded at 11:00 the following morning, which marks the opening of the official memorial ceremonies and private remembrance gatherings at each

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

where soldiers are buried. Many Israelis visit the resting places of loved ones throughout the day. National memorial services are held in the presence of Israel's top leadership and military personnel. Memorial candles are lit in homes, army camps, schools, synagogues, and public places, and

flags A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have ...

are lowered to half staff. Throughout the day, serving and retired military personnel serve as honor guards at war memorials throughout the country, and the families of the fallen participate in memorial ceremonies at military cemeteries. Many traditional and religious Jews say prayers for the souls of the fallen soldiers on Yom HaZikaron. Special prayers prescribed by the Israeli rabbinate are recited. These include the recital of Psalm 9: "For the leader, on the death of the son," and Psalm 144: "Blessed be the Lord, My Rock, who traineth my hands for war and my fingers for battle" in addition to memorial prayers for the dead. The official ceremony to mark the opening of the day takes place at the Western Wall. Israeli TV channels screen the names of all civilians killed in pogroms since 1851, and all fallen from 1860 (considered the date of the beginning of the

Yishuv The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...

by the Israeli Ministry of Defense), in chronological order (rank, name, Hebrew date deceased and secular date) over the course of the day. Originally, this was done by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority's Channel 33; once the IBA was dissolved and replaced by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, the screening itself was moved to

KAN 11 Kan 11 ( ) is an Israeli state-owned free-to-air television channel. Operated by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), it launched on 15 May 2017, replacing Channel 1 after the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. It is ...

in lieu of Makan 33. The day officially draws to a close at sundown (between 19:00 and 20:00; 7–8 p.m.) in a ceremony at the national military cemetery on Mount Herzl, marking the start of Israel Independence Day, when the

flag of Israel The flag of the State of Israel ( ; ) was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. It consists of a white background with a blue Star of David in the centre and two horizontal blue stripes at the ...

is returned to full staff. Scheduling Yom HaZikaron right before

is intended to remind people of the price paid for independence and of what was achieved with the soldiers' sacrifice. This transition shows the importance of this day among Israelis, most of whom have served in the armed forces, or have a connection with people who were killed during their military service.

Timing

The normative day for Yom HaZikaron is the fourth day of the month of Iyar, with Yom HaAtzmaut following immediately on the next day (fifth of Iyar). This rarely occurs. The construction of the current Hebrew calendar allows these two dates to only occur on certain days of the week, but most of those possibilities will conflict with the Jewish

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

. The holidays are adjusted so neither falls out on the Shabbat, or even on Friday and Sunday. (Falling out on Friday would interfere with Shabbat preparation and cause overlap of the events on Friday evening. Falling out on Sunday would cause a similar conflict with the end of Shabbat on Saturday evening, as Yom HaZikaron always starts at 8:00, which might be earlier than dusk on Saturday night.) The possible normative days and their adjustments are: * Sunday-Monday: Yom HaZikaron would start 8:00 Saturday night. They are both pushed off a day to Monday the 5th of Iyar and Tuesday the 6th. ''Example: 2017 (5777)'' * Tuesday-Wednesday: This is the only case without any conflict with the Shabbat, so no adjustment is needed and observance stays on normative dates of the 4th and 5th of Iyar. ''Example: 2023 (5783)'' * Thursday-Friday: The end of Yom HaAtzmaut would run into the Shabbat (Friday evening). Holidays are advanced one day to Wednesday Iyar 3 and Thursday Iyar 4. Example: 2022 (5782) * Friday-Saturday: Direct conflict with the full Shabbat. A single day move would not suffice, as advancing by one day would still leave Yom HaAtzmaut on Friday, bleeding into the Shabbat, and postponing one day would move Yom HaZikaron directly onto the Shabbat. Instead, they are advanced two days to Wednesday Iyar 2 and Thursday Iyar 3. ''Example: 2021 (5781)'' No other combination is possible. The calendar never has the 4th and 5th on Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday, or Saturday-Sunday.

Notes

References

External links

Remembrance Day–Independence Day – Selected Readings
{{Authority control Annual events in Israel Armed Forces days Iyar observances Observances honoring victims of war Public holidays in Israel Remembrance days Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew