In preparation for Israel’s Memorial Day next Monday, on the eve of the Jewish State’s Day of Independence, the Defense Ministry published the number of the fallen in all of Israel’s conflicts since 1860: 23,544 men and women.
This past year has seen 60 Israelis being added to this list. The number of bereaved families is 9,157.
In preparation for Memorial Day, a candle, a small national flag and a cluster of flowers were placed in the military cemeteries on the tomb of each fallen soldier.
On this occasion, the Defense Ministry introduced the new National Memorial Hall for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers at the entrance to the military cemetery on Mount Herzl.
The hall is designed in a spiral structure composed of small, white stones, each of which bears the name of a person killed in Israel’s wars. On the anniversary of their death, a small light turns next to the brick.
Israeli victims of the hostilities who were not in uniform at the time of their demise are not commemorated at the site, but in a separate monument.
The cost of the project is estimated at $25 million.