About a month before Memorial Day: The chairman of the Yad Labanim organization, Eli Ben Shem, sent a letter today (Wednesday) to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, requesting "to act together and find creative solutions to preserve the sanctity of Memorial Day for the Fallen in Israel's Armed Forces" - out of "a tangible concern for harming this year's memorial ceremonies.".
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Ben Shem wrote: "Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Armed Forces is one of the holiest and most sensitive days of the year in general. With the outbreak of war, difficult and turbulent days are passing through the State of Israel. A rift as deep as this has never been known in our 75 years of independence, tearing us all apart from within and dividing us.".
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He added: "We are at the beginning of the eve of Memorial Day and we are aware of the discussion of bereaved families, especially the families of the Iron Swords, about how the 2014 Memorial Day ceremonies will be conducted.".
""The bereaved family has always been the holy of holies of Israeli society," Ben Shem wrote in a letter, which was also sent to Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir and Deputy Director of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Division Aryeh Mualem. "Due to tangible concerns about harming the memorial ceremonies, I appeal to you to work together and find creative solutions to preserve the sanctity of the day.
""Our request is that you instruct the bodies responsible for the memorial ceremonies to prepare accordingly in advance in order to prevent unpleasantness during the Memorial Day ceremonies. Opinions are divided and recommendations must be formulated in order to prevent disrespect on Memorial Day.".
According to a report by Doron Kadosh on Galei Tzahal, many bereaved families, mainly from the Hamas surprise attack on Simchat Torah, have contacted Yad Labanim with a request that politicians not speak at Memorial Day ceremonies at the 54 military cemeteries across the country.
Eli Ben Shem's compromise proposal: The politicians will come and lay a wreath, but without making a speech.
Meanwhile, two MKs from Labor and Likud approached Defense Minister Yoav Galant and asked him to consider "a sensitive approach regarding the participation of politicians in Memorial Day ceremonies, in light of the political disputes, public criticism, and the difficult incidents of friction between politicians and bereaved families in cemeteries in recent years.".
In a letter to Gallant, the two called for an order that government and Knesset representatives represent the country in ceremonies "in a symbolic manner" only by laying a wreath and reading an agreed-upon, uniform text, or alternatively by laying a wreath only without delivering speeches. "Separate bereavement from politics in Memorial Day ceremonies," the two requested.
