Yom HaZikaron

 Yom HaZikaron (4 Iyur- May13,2024)

IDF soldiers participate in an official Yom HaZikaron ceremony for the fallen soldiers and the victims of terror attacks.

Yom HaZikaron (Hebrew: יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן‎, lit. 'Memorial Day'), in full Yom HaZikaron LeHalelei Ma'arkhot Yisrael ul'Nifge'ei Pe'ulot HaEivah (Hebrew: יוֹם הזִּכָּרוֹן לְחַלְלֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְנִפְגְעֵי פְּעֻלּוֹת הָאֵיבָה‎, lit. 'Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism'), is Israel's official remembrance day, enacted into law in 1963. While Yom HaZikaron commemorates Israrel's fallen soldiers, commemoration has also been extended to civilian victims of terrorism.

History

An IDF officer places new flags, each with a black ribbon, on the graves of IDF soldiers for Yom HaZikaron.

IDF soldiers at a Yom HaZikaron ceremony in 2007

 

Bedouin Soldiers Memorial

In 1949 and 1950, the first two years after the state's declaration, memorial services for soldiers who fell in the War of Independence were held on Independence Day. The IDF and the Ministry of Defense coordinate services in military cemeteries.

 

Families of fallen soldiers expressed concern about establishing a separate Memorial Day observance distinct from the festive celebrations of national independence. In response, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion—also serving as Minister of Defense—established in January 1951 the "Public Council for Soldiers' Commemoration." This council recommended establishing the 4th of Iyyar, the day preceding Independence Day, as the "General Memorial Day for the Heroes of the War of Independence." This proposal won government approval that same year.

In 2023, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism announced a new policy that non-Israeli Jewish victims of antisemitic terror attacks outside of Israel should officially be mourned as part of each year's Yom HaZikaron commemoration to demonstrate solidarity with the Jewish diaspora

Observance

Yom HaZikaron is the national remembrance day observed in Israel for all Israeli military personnel who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for those who have been killed subsequently while on active duty in Israel's armed forces. As of Yom HaZikaron 2022, that number was 24,213.