Stamped on our memory

.

Israel came to a standstill this morning during the 2-minute memorial siren at 11:00 commemorating our 23,646 fallen members of the security forces and 3,134 victims of terrorist attacks. 

Israel Post describes the new stamp issued for Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day: 

This stamp features a poppy/red everlasting flower and a military dog tag engraved with the words "we shall always remember" [lenetsach nizkor] against the background of a tombstone with small rocks placed on it by loved ones who visited the grave.
The tab features the official IDF symbol and the symbol of the Ministry of Defense Families and Commemoration Dept.

May their memory be for a blessing and may God console the many bereaved families. 
This https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_casualties_of_war information is so interesting. But sadly, so long.
.
For more about Yom HaZikaron please see my previous posts.
. 

Remembrance Day

Yom HaZikaron is the hardest, most painful day of the year for us.

To quote The Times of Israel --

"Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism formally began at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday as sirens wailed throughout the country, signalling a solemn minute of silence at the start of an annual remembrance marked with candle lightnings, memorial services and melancholy songs.
This year’s memorials commemorate 23,447 men and women who have died in uniform or as victims of terror attacks. The past year saw 68 Israeli soldiers and police die in the line of duty, as well as 32 civilians killed in terror attacks.
. . .

The Defense Ministry’s Families and Commemoration Department expects some 1.5 million visitors at the nation’s 52 military cemeteries and hundreds of smaller military sections in civilian cemeteries.

Wednesday morning’s commemorations begin at 11:00 a.m. with a two-minute memorial siren that will bring the country to a standstill and launch the official state ceremony at the Mount Herzl national military cemetery, as well as military cemeteries nationwide."

--Read more in the article,  With silence and song, Israelis commemorate 23,447 fallen

.

(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)

.

Yom HaZikaron ceremony at our cemetery

.

At 11:00 a.m. sharp the siren sounded and at Meitar's cemetery  all of us stood in a collective remembering of our defense forces dead and of the victims of hostile actions [terrorism].

Speeches and Psalms and prayers, all very moving.

Wreaths were laid at the Yizkor memorial wall of the small military section of our cemetery.
The quotation from Jeremiah 31:19 says, "For as often as I speak of him, I do earnestly remember him still."
 

Two graves were added to the military section during last summer's fighting.

Just last July I shared with you Captain Liad Lavi's funeral.
May he now rest in peace.

Please give a thought to the thousands of bereaved families for whom every day is a Day of Remembrance.
And remember that about 600 fallen soldiers and terror victims are from the Druze, Bedouin, Circassian, and Arab (both Christian and Muslim)  communities.
.
At sunset tonight we will make the sudden transition from the agony of memorial day  into the festivities and fireworks of Independence Day.
You can't have one day without the other.
.

Dedicating the fallen soldiers' monument

.

Here in Meitar, ceremonies for Israel's Remembrance Day  began at 6:30 tonight on the library  lawn.
Our new monument (still draped in black in the above photo) was unveiled by Mayor Avner Ben Gera. 

Meitar lost two of her sons in last summer's fighting with Gaza.
One of the bereaved fathers laid a wreath after giving a short and moving speech.

On the monument you see the symbolic Red Everlasting or Blood of the Maccabees flower we discussed in the previous post.
What worries me is the white empty space under the soldiers' names; please God, may it not be filled with new names any time soon.

The monument was placed next to the library and also in between our three schools.
As one of the speakers said (I think it was the town rabbi who made the point, or perhaps the mayor), the closeness to the library stresses that we are the People of the Book and only become the people of the sword when forced to.
And among the schools, why?  Because to this our youth are educated--to live for their country and if needed, to also die fighting for our home, our only home in this world.
.

Blood-red flowers for memorial day

.

Tuesday evening Israel will enter into the saddest day of our calendar, Yom Hazikaron, the memorial day for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
The soldiers number 23,320.

This year's poster says, Nizkor et kulam, we will remember them all.
The roundish red flowers have become a symbol for our day of remembering (perhaps influenced by the tradition of the red poppy in other countries).

Wikipedia says, "The red everlasting is a flowering plant of the genus Helichrysum in the daisy family (Asteraceae).  It is a protected plant in some jurisdictions (in particular, Israel and the Palestinian Authority).
It is known there as 'Blood of the Maccabees' (Hebrew: Dam Hamakabim).
Its name is derived from a legend saying that in every spot one grows, a drop of blood has been spilled on the earth."

Indeed . . .
.
An article at Israel21C  talks about the flower and how its portrayal on Israeli stamps has evolved over the decades. 
And here is more about the plant. 
.
(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
.

Memorial Day at our cemetery in the Negev

.

Last night's Memorial Day ceremonies at Meitar's amphitheater continued this  morning at our small cemetery near the forest.
At the gate, bunches of flowers were handed to the grieving families to put on the graves of their soldier sons and daughters.

 Ready for the rabbis and cantors--the army's booklet of prayers for Memorial Day.

After the half hour ceremony,  the officers and the families went up to the small military section of the cemetery and gathered informally around the several graves.

With the flame lit and the flag at half mast, Israel entered into the difficult day of deeply and actively remembering the thousands of fallen on this, the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terror.
.
At nightfall we will make the sudden transition into joyously celebrating Independence Day.
.
(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

Memorial Day begins

.

Tonight our Memorial Day began, the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terror.
A great many of Meitar's 8000 residents came down to the Amphi for the ceremony.
The nation-wide siren sounded for one minute at exactly 8:00 pm.

There were readings, prayers, a flute, and a choir.
Here we stood to sing Hatikva.
I felt a strong bond of togetherness (even though I know hardly anyone)  and I was glad to be in Meitar.

 After the ceremony several hundred people walked over to Beit Hatarbut, the new "House of Culture."
The flame of remembrance burned. 

A long table showing all Meitar's soldier sons and daughters who died in the wars or while on duty.

A memorial candle for each.

The evening ended with a singer, an accordion player, and a drummer on stage leading us in singing the old and new songs, all sad, that were written during Israel's many wars.
.
Tomorrow morning a graveside ceremony will take place in the small military section of Meitar's cemetery.
Memorial Day is a sad and emotional day for this little nation where everyone is, or feels like they are, family.
.

The saddest day, year after year

.

Memorial Day events began Sunday afternoon  with a ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad LaBanim, an association for bereaved families.
(Every city has a Yad LaBanim to honor its own fallen soldiers.)

Update: I see now how the Jerusalem Post defines it:
"Yad Lebanim (“A Memorial for the Sons”) is the organization that supports bereaved families in cooperation with the Defense Ministry and official government bodies. The Jerusalem memorial, located near the government quarter, is the central memorial for soldiers killed in action in the capital."

The architecture is so unusual, with pyramids and underground halls.

In an earlier post I tried to explain the symbolism.

Inside one pyramid are the names, so many names.
.
At the afternoon ceremony Prime Minister Netanyahu said this:

We remember, we weep, and we hurt.
Each family has its own grief, and the grief felt by every one of us merges with the pain of the entire nation of Israel: pain over the life that has been cut short, pain over the fact that all that is now left is memorial day.

There is no real remedy and there is no full solace.

 But there is one deep and fundamental consolation: the knowledge that thanks to those who have fallen, the State of Israel was founded and the Jewish people’s stature took a turn for the better.    Thanks to them, we live here, forever.

. . . 

UPDATE: Today the wonderful blog The Real Jerusalem Streets posts a photo of Yad LaBanim covered over with "tents" for shade and security to the VIPs who spoke at yesterday's Yom HaZikaron ceremony.
.

Yom HaZikaron

.
By the Hebrew reckoning, a day begins at night.
Last night all Israel entered into the saddest day of the year, Remembrance Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Enemy Actions.
.
In between the national memorial ceremonies at the Western Wall, Mt. Herzl, the Knesset, and Ammunition Hill, Israel TV has been showing filmed stories of heroism, of battles, of terrorist actions, and of families struggling with bereavement.
They are riveting; I have to watch. They make up our history.
But oh so many times in the last 21 hours have I dried my tears or cried "Oh God" or sighed a big Jewish sigh of "Oi . . . ."
.
At sunset tonight we will make the sudden transition into the happiness of Independence Day, all the time remembering that our independent state did not--and does not--come easy.
.
That's My World and it is a great privilege to live here.
.
More posts about Memorial Day in Jerusalem can be found here.
.
Shalom, peace to you, my country!
.

The pyramids of the soul's eternal life

.
Did you know there are pyramids in Jerusalem?!

In antiquity, pyramids were the symbol of the soul and eternal life.

This sculpture by Bezalel Schatz is planted in a channel (that once had water) representing the Nile.

Our Society for the Protection of Nature guide yesterday said that no one seems to know what it is supposed to symbolize. Strange. When she said Nile I immediately thought bullrushes. No?

Enter into the valley.

The entrance has a lone olive tree of peace and the name Yad LaBanim.

Inside one pyramid we find the reason for it all--the names of the Jerusalemites who fell defending their city and country.

The place is Beit Yad LaBanim, the memorial house for the sons.

Every city has a Yad LaBanim for their fallen, full of photos and archives and exhibits.
.

Sit still a while on the bench and ponder their sacrifice.

Let us think of their families today, on Israel's Memorial Day for the defenders and for the victims of terror.

On this day especially, society becomes one big grieving “family,” known in Hebrew as mishpachat hashchol.

.

At 7:45 tonight the remembrance day will end and we make the sudden transition to the joy of Israel's 62nd Independence Day.

You can't have one without the other.

.

Such is my world for That's MyWorld Tuesday.

.