Despite the instructions, Shlomo did not give up his visit to the grave of his son Gilad on Mount Herzl today. • A policeman in their facility: "It is impossible to describe how difficult it is to see everything empty."

An extraordinary memorial day passes Tuesday for the bereaved families in the shadow of the Corona epidemic, and the extraordinary pictures also expressed this well in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl, where thousands are buried.

Just before the state memorial service, among all the orphaned tombs, a policeman stood for a moment with his uncle, who fell in 1990. "I am here every year," he told "Israel Today." .

Photo by Hanan Greenwood

Very few visitors walked around the place, most of them members of the security forces, who stop for a moment and talk to their dear ones. "It was important for me to come today, to work here," the policeman added.

However, at one grave there was a bereaved father. Minutes, hours, he stood by the grave. Say goodbye to his son again. Shlomo Ella, who lost his son, the late Sergeant Gilad Ella, in September 2018. "He was a happy boy. He sang and played. I come here every day for a year and a half. When he fell, I was abroad, and only when I returned to Israel was I informed. He was an outstanding commander. Elevation. I usually arrive in the evenings with no one there. ”At the siren, Shlomo couldn't hold back the tears and hugged his son's grave.

Events and ceremonies in the shade of the corona

This year's Memorial Day is conducted in a different and historical format due to the guidelines and restrictions that result from the fight against the Corona virus. The texts are edited without audience, as many times the speeches are recorded in advance.

Police officers settled in the military cemeteries, but Defense Minister Naftali Bennett made it clear that no police officer would confront a bereaved family member who would visit his relative's grave.