1.5 million participants in events at military cemeteries

May 5, 2014   

State ceremonies will be held today (Monday) on the occasion of Memorial Day for the fallen of Israel's armed forces and victims of hostilities in all military cemeteries, with the participation of bereaved families, public figures and representatives of the government, police and security forces, as the State of Israel unites with the memory of 23,169 fallen of Israel's armed forces and 2,495 victims of hostilities in hundreds of memorial events across the country. The main memorial ceremony at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery will begin at 11:00 AM, with a two-minute siren in memory of the fallen. According to estimates, more than 1.5 million people are expected to visit 52 military cemeteries.  Starting at 11:00 AM, ceremonies organized by local authorities will also be held in all cemeteries where Israeli service members are buried. In addition, memorial ceremonies will be held in educational and public institutions, in IDF camps, and near monuments and memorial sites throughout the country. At 1:00 PM, the memorial ceremony for the victims of the hostilities will begin on Mount Herzl. On the eve of Memorial Day, the Ministry of Defense published the number of fallen soldiers from the mid-19th century to the present day: 23,169. This year, 57 more were killed, and five disabled IDF soldiers who died as a result of their disability were recognized as IDF fallen soldiers this year. עוד עולה מהנתונים: מספר בני המשפחות השכולות בישראל הוא 17,038, בהם 2,141 יתומים ו-4,966 אלמנות צה"ל ומערכת הביטחון, כולל המחתרות השב"כ והמוסד. בשל התחזית למזג אוויר שרבי, הוחלט באגף המשפחות וההנצחה במשרד הביטחון לתגבר את ההיערכות בבתי העלמין הצבאיים. כחלק מהכוננות ליום הזיכרון וליום העצמאות הוטל סגר כללי על השטחים החל משעה 18:00 אתמול ועד היום בשעה 23:59.