An Israeli soldier wrapped in an Israeli flag stands at the gate of an army base on the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Sunday, May 8, 2011. Israel will mark its annual remembrance day for soldiers and civilians killed over the years in the region's [Israel's] wars and conflicts. (AP)
Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers is aimed at unifying the citizens of Israel with the memory of the state's fallen soldiers, whose sacrifice enabled[s] Israel's existence.
This day is marked each year on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar or in proximity to that date, and it is always marked one day before Independence Day, emphasizing and symbolizing the connection between the fallen and their devotion, and with the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Knesset anchored the marking of this day within the Heroes' Remembrance Day (War of Independence and Israel Defense Army) Law-1963. The law was renamed in a 1980 amendment as the "Memorial Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars Law." The significance of this change was in its expansion from a memorial day of the fallen soldiers of the state to a memorial day that includes all those killed in action during pre-state battles.
Memorial Day is also in commemoration for deceased members of the Israeli Police, the General Security Service, and the Mossad.
Memorial Day begins at sundown and ends at sundown the following day. Its events open at 8:00PM with a one-minute siren that is heard across the state, followed by a national ceremony held at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The ceremony is attended by the President and the Chief of Staff. Other gatherings and services are held throughout the state.
The following day, a two-minute siren is sounded across the state at 11:00AM, followed by national memorial services held in all military cemeteries. These are attended by the families of the fallen, public figures and representatives of the government, police and the security forces. The central service is held at the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem.
The Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers Whose Place of Burial is Unknown was fixed by the Chief Rabbinate on the 7th of Adar, noted as the day of birth and death of [Moshe Rabbeinu].
.... The names of all soldiers in an unknown resting place are engraved on a wall built in their honor on Mt. Herzl.
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It is a matter of fact that Arabs, Israeli and otherwise, do their best to mar Jewish holidays with violence of one sort or another. Hence it comes as no surprise that in Jerusalem on Friday, a Jew was assaulted by Arab rock throwers... ostensibly for flying a small Israeli flag from her vehicle.
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