Starting this evening local time, Israel began its observance of Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, to honor those who fell while defending the state of Israel.
Tonight, we remember 23,320 fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice defending #Israel #Yomhazikaron pic.twitter.com/jONZtIW62W
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 21, 2015
At a ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem commemorating the day, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin referenced Operation Protective Edge, the war in Gaza that took place this summer. The Jerusalem Post reported:
Speaking at the torch-lighting ceremony at the Western Wall as Israel began its observance of Remembrance Day to honor 23,320 fallen soldiers and civilian victims of wars and terrorism, Rivlin told of his travels during the summer to the homes of bereaved families of soldiers who fell during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
“I learned to know them too late, when they were already gone,” Rivlin said, explaining that those who perished came from all sectors of Israeli society.
“This summer I learned how real the loss is, that there is no longing that matches it,” Rivlin said. …
“We are not people of war. We did not go to war bloodthirsty, neither this summer nor ever,” he said. “We were forced to fight, and our children have been fated to do the same to defend our home.”
In his official remarks to commemorate the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:
On this day the people of Israel bow their heads in respect and gratitude. The poet Shlomo Sokolsky well expressed the heavy price. In his poem ‘Rosh Pina’, he wrote: ‘There is no conquering the top of the rock – if there is no grave on the slope.’ This is the reality of our life in the past 67 years since the establishment of the State of Israel and even before.
Last year many more families were added to the family of the bereaved including the families of those who fell in Operation Protective Edge whose sons fought to restore quiet and security to the cities of Israel and the communities of the south.
On Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars, we recall the heroism of those who gave their souls for the existence and security of the State of Israel. To our sorrow, in the current Middle East we are obliged to continue fighting for our existence, and our existence here is not self-evident without this sacrifice. Only thanks to the iron wall, every brick of which is held by our sons and daughters of the IDF and the security services, only thanks to them can we continue to live our lives here and continue to raise our children and grandchildren here.
The day is marked by the sounding of a siren, during which everyone stands still in honor of those lost. The video embedded below shows the tribute ceremony at the Western Wall.
[Photo: Simon Cobbs / YouTube ]