A siren rang out across the country Tuesday evening at 8 pm as the State of Israel officially began to observe its national Day of Remembrance, Yom HaZikaron.
On this annual day, Israelis unite as one family to honor their fallen, both those who died in battle and those who were killed in terror attacks.
President Reuven Rivlin, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi and thousands of others packed into the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem as the siren launched the main Memorial Day event.
Barely 30 minutes later, in Tel Aviv, Mayor Ron Huldai led Israeli singers and celebrities in the annual “Songs in the Square” ceremony at Rabin Square.
That theme was continued at 9:15 pm back in Jerusalem at the Knesset, in an event called “Songs in Their Memory.” Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, and President Reuven Rivlin participated, as did Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and other government leaders.
On Wednesday morning, the country will once again be brought to a halt with a two-minute siren at 11 am to mark the somber day. Another memorial service following the siren will be held at the Mount Herzl national military cemetery in Jerusalem to honor Israel’s fallen IDF soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi are all expected to participate in that service, which will be followed by the central memorial service for victims of terror, at 1:00 pm.
As of May 2019, the number of fallen IDF soldiers stands at 23,741 since the establishment of the state.
Some 3,150 civilians – including the four Israelis who were killed this weekend in rocket attacks by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – have lost their lives in terror attacks.