On Memorial Day, the pain of families is added to the lack of ability to visit the graves of loved ones • This morning at 11am: a two-minute siren followed by the state ceremony at Mount Herzl, and salute salutes to fallen warriors To Kochavi: "This is a war period"

Memorial Day events to the victims of the Israeli system and victims of hostilities began on Monday evening at 8 pm after the memorial was honored across the country. The names of the fallen were projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Seventy-five spaces were added to the counties that fall in Israeli systems and terrorist operations. The number of spaces since 1860 is 23,816. The number of those killed in hostilities since the establishment of the state - 3,153. The main ceremony was held at the Western Wall Square in the capital in a limited format according to the Corona restrictions. It was attended every year by President Reuven Rivlin and Chief of Staff Major General Aviv Kochavi. 

Pennants were placed on space graves in the military cemeteries // Photo: Newsenders

The memorial candle was lit by IDF widows and orphans, Tami Shelah, the widow of Commander of the Squadron Ehud Shelach Zal, who fell in the Yom Kippur War. Eli Ben Shem, chairman of Yad Labanim, the father of Deputy Kobi Ben Shem, who fell in the helicopter disaster, Kaddish said. 

President Rivlin addressed the bereaved families. "This year you are alone in the rooms, listening to the boys' echoes. We cannot reach your homes, we cannot stand beside you in the military sections. We cannot hug you, embrace you as our siren pierces the silence, tearing your heart out." 

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The president addressed the Corona epidemic, adding: "Such isolation, such days, overwhelms all of us. But they still overwhelm those who are not, the space, the longing, the pain. How hard the understanding, the feeling, that we cannot gather together, Family, and friends, and lovers, for one moment, together, hurting. Dear families, from afar, our hearts are full of yours. Our soul is in your soul. " 

Chief of Staff stars compare the current global crisis to war. "These are complex days," he said, "bringing with them concern and concern that arise from the hovering danger. A crisis period like a war period, urges the caretaker and the margins, and highlights the important, the values, and the sanctity of life.

For the IDF commanders and their soldiers, the important, the values ​​and the values ​​of life are the essence of our mission: the preservation of state sovereignty and the security of its citizens. , To the world of combat units, "Kochavi noted in his address. 

Fallen - and flags

For the first time, the names of the spaces were screened on the walls of the Old City last night. The Israeli flag will be screened this evening with the wishes of a "Happy Independence Holiday". Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon initiated the project. "The period we are in is a complex period and on such a seven day day," he concluded.