On the eve of Israel’s national Memorial Day, the Ministry of Defense announced that 24,213 people died either defending the State of Israel or the Jewish community in the country dating back to the year 1860 when the modern Zionist enterprise began. This figure includes people like Joseph Trumpeldor and seven others who were killed in the Battle of Tel Hai in 1920 when Arabs came down from Lebanon and attacked the Jewish farms there.
Since last year’s Memorial Day alone 59 more martyrs fell while serving in Israel’s various security services including the IDF and the Police.
Another 86 disabled IDF soldiers who passed away from their disabilities and were recognized as martyrs of Israel’s systems have been added to the number of fallen in the past year.
The Department of Commemoration and Heritage Families at the Ministry of Defense, the department responsible for Memorial Day events, has completed the preparation of the 52 military cemeteries throughout Israel. Preparations included renovation, accessibility, maintenance, cleaning, and landscaping, as well as polishing and replacing damaged or old headstones at the memorial sites, in hundreds of military burial plots, and in thousands of scattered graves across the country.
The ministry called on the Israeli public to go out and join bereaved families at ceremonies to be held at military cemeteries.
