After last year the cemeteries closed at the height of the corona crisis, next week the ceremonies will be held in the presence of a crowd • Bereaved families will be able to go to the graves on Wednesday in the Green Mark rules, but there will be no strict enforcement • The general public will be honored the week before • Shlomi Shabbat
The military cemetery on Mount Herzl
Photo:
Oren Ben Hakon
The Ministry of Defense is preparing to hold Memorial Day events for the victims of the Israeli military operations and hostilities under the Corona border.
As part of this, only bereaved families will be allowed to come to the cemeteries on Memorial Day.
Memorial Day eve ceremonies will be held on the evening of April 13 in the presence of an audience of bereaved bereaved families, in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the rules of the green label and cultural outline.
The Ministry of Defense stated that a green sign will not be checked for the bereaved families, but will only call on those with a green sign to come.
The public will be asked to respect the families and allow them to reach the cemeteries and socialize with the memory of their loved ones while maintaining their health.
The bereaved families will be received by representatives of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Division, and IDF soldiers will place pennants, wreaths and soul candles on the graves of the dead.
In the days before Memorial Day, the general public will be able to visit the military cemeteries and pay their respects to the fallen.
Ministry of Defense employees and IDF soldiers will greet those who arrive and distribute water and flowers to them.
On Memorial Day itself, state ceremonies will be held in the 52 military cemeteries across the country.
Singer Shlomi Shabbat will lead the public information campaign and the call for the lighting of the virtual memorial candle.
"Last year the cemeteries were closed and this year we are opening them to families," Defense Minister Bnei Gantz said.
"I ask everyone to honor the memory of the fallen and light the candle from home. I call for cooperation and ask everyone to remember the tens of thousands who gave the most precious of all so that we can be here. I thank Arie Mualem and all Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health "For ceremonies to take place. I think and believe that even in such a turbulent period, we will keep this day above politics."
Aryeh Mualem, Vice President and Head of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department, said: "This year, too, we are marking Memorial Day in the shadow of the Corona, after last year, for the first time in history, the cemeteries were closed.
Preparations for Remembrance Day were made while balancing between the feelings of the bereaved families and the observance of the Corona's guidelines.
The entire nation of Israel unites on the day of remembrance around the memory of the fallen, and for the bereaved families the ascent to the graves of their loved ones on this day is especially significant.
In coordination with the Public Council for the Remembrance of the Soldier and the representative organizations, we call on the general public to visit the cemeteries during "Remembrance Week", to honor the bereaved families and allow them to reach the cemeteries on Memorial Day.
In the coming days, the department's employees will begin to proactively contact all the bereaved families and update them on the details of the preparations. "
