In the year following the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, hundreds of bereaved Israeli families have chosen to honor their fallen loved ones through impactful projects that are already making a significant difference in Israeli society. From mobile pizza ovens for soldiers to ambulances and photography exhibitions, these initiatives serve as living memorials to those who lost their lives.

There are many ways to commemorate those who fell and were murdered for their faith, but one method stands out: not through a physical memorial but by carrying on the spirit and legacy of the deceased. Thousands of non-profit organizations, volunteer groups, and charity runs have been established in recent decades to remember Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of attacks. Dozens more have joined this list following October 7 and the Swords of Iron War. These touching initiatives have already significantly impacted Israeli society as a whole.

Maya Puder, 26, who grew up in the town of Shimshit, was killed by Hamas attackers on Saturday, October 7, at the NOVA music festival near Reim. Since the tragedy, her mother, Ayala, has stopped working as an interior designer and dedicated herself entirely to helping families whose loved ones were killed at Nova. "I'm at the Knesset at least once a week. I'm in contact with Lahav 433 (similar to the FBI) as part of my activities in the association we established, the 'Children of Light' association, which works for commemoration, rights advocacy, and relevant legislation in the Knesset, as well as commemoration and awareness activities around the world," she shared.

Aviv Baram was killed on October 7 when he went out with the emergency squad to defend his home in Kfar Aza. His close friends decided to commemorate him in a unique and moving way. "We want to bring joy and love to IDF soldiers who are in remote places, who don't see home for weeks, and who guard us in outposts. We want to share Aviv's love for hosting and pampering. So we decided to set up a mobile tabun oven for making Neapolitan pizza that will travel with us to soldiers in outposts, and call it 'Aviv's Pizza,'" they shared.

First Sergeant Guy Simhi, a soldier in the Paratroopers reconnaissance unit, fell in Kibbutz Reim while fighting attackers barehanded on October 7. He was twenty years old. The soldier's family launched a fundraising campaign to establish the "Hero of Israel, My Brother" association, which plans to hold unity and leadership activities. "We set ourselves a clear goal, to commemorate his life and legacy through his most prominent trait – leadership," his loved ones shared.

Captain Alina Pravosudova, 23, was an officer at the Urim base who fought and fell in battle against Hamas attackers in the October 7 assault. "We want to donate a Magen David Adom ambulance in her name so that she will continue to save lives even after her death," her family announced with noble spirit.

Sergeant Lavi Lipshitz, a soldier in the Givati reconnaissance unit, fell in battle in northern Gaza on October 31. He was twenty years old. Lavi was a sensitive and talented photographer who used to upload a photo from his military service to his Instagram account every day. His family decided to commemorate him through his art and presented an exhibition titled "Till When – Photo Diary 2023" at the Eretz Israel Museum featuring all his photographs.

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Israel on Sunday started observing Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism. After a one-minute siren nationwide at 8 p.m., a state ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, led by President Isaac Herzog and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi was broadcast live on all major outlets.

Meanwhile, in various cities across Israel, Israelis attended various somber events that include musical performances by singers who will sing songs traditionally associated with national mourning, as well as speeches by various dignitaries.

Since the previous Memorial Day, 760 more fallen soldiers have been added to the tally, including 711 who fell during Oct. 7 and Operation Iron Swords.

The great number of casualties and deaths means that 4,236 Israelis have become bereaved this year, including 1,294 parents who lost their sons and daughters and 520 people who lost one or two of their parents. IDF Chief of Staff Halevi said ahead of Memorial Day the following.

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Palestinians will be allowed to take part in a ceremony in Israel for the Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled on Sunday.

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The court unanimously accepted the appeal filed against Defense Minister Yoav Galant's decision, banning the entry of about 150 Palestinians from the West Bank to take part in a commemoration between Israelis and Palestinians.

"Minister Galant has not provided any arguments explaining the change in circumstances that justify, in his view, preventing the entry of the Palestinians invited to the joint ceremony," the court ruled, ordering "the granting of entry permits to Israel to the Palestinian residents who applied to participate in the joint ceremony."

The High Court clarified, however, that the granting of entry permits to Israel would be subject to a case-by-case review, and in the absence of any security threat.

"The government's attempt, through Minister Galant, to act belligerently against the court and legal counsel is an attempt to stir up more strife on the backs of the bereaved families," said the Peace Fighters movement, which runs the Israeli-Palestinian Yom Hazikaron ceremony and submitted the petition to the High Court.

"Galant's decision aims to harm those who call for peace and hope. The High Court's decision was necessary and we welcome it," the movement added, confirming that the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony would therefore take place as scheduled on Monday evening at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv.

This article was first published by i24NEWS. 

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Israelis will come to a somber pause on Monday evening, as a one-minute siren will sound in honor of the country's 24,213 fallen soldiers and 4,255 victims of terror, marking the beginning of the annual 24-hour period of mourning during which official and civilian ceremonies will take place nationwide.

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The first ceremony to honor the fallen will be held at 04:30 p.m. at the Beit Yad Lebanim in Jerusalem, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, political and military officials, and grieving families in attendance.

The one-minute siren will sound at 08:00 p.m., after which a memorial ceremony will begin at the Western Wall, to be attended by President Isaac Herzog and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

Memorial Day is a solemn day in Israel, where grief is often openly expressed in public ceremonies. In a country where almost everyone knows someone who died fighting, most people are grieving for someone they knew personally.

There will be candlelight ceremonies in schools and public institutions and mournful programs about Israel's wars broadcast on public television.

On Tuesday morning, at 08:30 a.m. will begin the memorial ceremony at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. At 11:00 a.m. the second one-minute siren will sound, followed by a state ceremony at the National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers as well as memorials across cemeteries in Israel.

Memorial Day will come to a close at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday when Israelis will allow their sadness to give way to mirth as they celebrate Israel's 75th Independence Day with patriotic parties and events happening throughout the country.

At the closing ceremony, Rabbi Leo Dee, who lost his wife Leah and daughters Maia and Rina earlier this month, will recite the Yizkor memorial prayer.

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Israel's enemies are watching the IDF's actions in the Middle East, seeing our capabilities, and are weighing their next steps carefully, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Sunday at a ceremony at Mount Herzl honoring Israel's fallen soldiers.

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"Thanks to sophisticated operational activity, this past year has been one of the most secure Israel's citizens have ever known. We will continue to act with might and with judgment, with determination and responsibility, to ensure the security of the state of Israel," Kochavi said.

Addressing a large-scale drill the IDF is scheduled to hold in Cyprus this summer, which was first reported by Israel Hayom, Kochavi said that "The IDF is on guard with improved offensive powers, which can at any moment switch from a drill to a real operation. This is a full month of warfare."

The IDF chief also addressed the families of Israel's captive citizens and missing soldiers, saying that Israel is "committed to making every effort so they will return to you and to our nation. Efforts on the issue are ongoing and are taking place appropriately, behind closed doors."

Other defense and security officials participating in Sunday's ceremony included Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, Shin Bet security agency director Nadav Argaman, and Israel Prisons Service Commissioner Katy Perry.

During the ceremony, flags were placed on the graves at Mount Herzl to honor the 23,928 men and women who were killed in Israel's wars. Since Memorial Day 2020, Israel's security forces have lost 43 more, and 69 veterans who were left disabled and succumbed to their disabilities were recognized as fallen soldiers.

Due to COVID, the IDF has asked the public to keep away from military cemeteries and allow the families of the fallen to visit without additional crowds on Memorial Day itself, which begins the evening of Tuesday, April 13. The general public is invited to visit military cemeteries before Tuesday.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, a one-minute siren will sound nationwide to mark the beginning of Memorial Day 2021. Immediately after the siren, memorial events will begin nationwide. As usual, the main state event will take place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, April 14, a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m., to be followed by ceremonies at 52 military cemeteries across the country. Mount Herzl will host the main ceremony, which will begin with a special flyover to honor the fallen.

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According to the report, Greenblatt wrote the letter on the heels of a meeting with Leah and Simcha Goldin, the parents of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, whose remains are believed to have been held by Hamas since the Gaza war of 2014 – as are those of Oron Shaul, another IDF soldier killed in the operation.

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Additionally, two Israeli civilians are also believed to be in Hamas custody after crossing into the blockaded Gaza Strip.

.@jdgreenblatt45 urges UN to help return Israelis missing in #Gazahttps://t.co/NyDYog8Gq2

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 3, 2019

In July, a Hamas spokesman said that Israel still had the opportunity to recover the captives and the remains of the fallen soldiers.

"There is an opportunity to resolve the issue of prisoners and missing persons if the enemy's leadership is serious," he said.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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Staff Sgt. Sean Carmeli, 21, from Texas; Staff Sgt. Max Steinberg, 24, from Los Angeles, and Staff Sgt. Jordan Ben-Simon, 22, from Lyon, France were killed within hours of each other on July 20, 2014.

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When the public learned that the three soldiers had no immediate family in Israel, messages went out on social media asking that members of the public show their support by attending their funerals. The response was overwhelming and touched the bereaved families as well as the nation as a whole. Tens of thousands of mourners attended the funerals in Haifa, Jerusalem, and Ashkelon.

Israel Hayom spoke to the families ahead of the fifth anniversary of their sons' deaths.

Steinberg's sister, Paige, said that at first, the family had been unsure whether to have him buried in Israel or in Los Angeles. After their parents flew to Israel, they decided that their son's resting place would be there.

"It was the first time my parents had ever been to Israel and [only] my second time," said Paige, who now lives in Tel Aviv.

"When we went to Mount Herzl, we saw people from all over. The streets were packed with people. We didn't understand what all the fuss was about until we realized that everyone was there for Max. We were overwhelmed with love and support," Paige said.

Paige said that in those moments, she felt "more understood here, next to the people of Israel. They said that Max would never be alone here and we believed them. There are no words to describe how moved I was, but in my heart, I felt that the only way to deal with the tragedy would be to follow Max and move to Israel."

Carmeli's parents, Dalia and Alon, Israelis who had been living in Texas for over 20 years, felt the same way as Paige Steinberg, and so did Yemin Philippe Ben-Simon, Jordan's father, who left France and made aliyah some two years after his son was killed, on Sept. 11, 2016.

"It was no coincidence I chose that date," Ben-Simon said.

"On Sept. 11 [2001], radical Islamic terrorists tried to threaten the citizens of the free world. I see a direct link between the radical Islamic terrorism that destroyed the Twin Towers in the US and the radical Islamic terrorism from the radical Hamas, which killed my son. Making aliyah on that date is a message to these radical terrorist groups: 'nothing will help you.'"

Joachim Hajaj, a volunteer with the group Ach Gadol [Big Brother], a nonprofit that supports and mentors lone IDF soldiers, accompanies the Ben-Simon family every time they attend a memorial service for Jordan. He also helped translate Israel Hayom's interview with Philippe Ben-Simon from French.

"I still can't believe that Jordan is gone," the bereaved father said.

"I decided to make aliyah because I wanted to be close to him. I do have relatives in Ashkelon, but the reason I decided to live there was simply because I wanted to be as close to Jordan as possible."

Yemin Ben-Simon found an apartment only a few minutes' walk away from the cemetery where his son is buried.

"There are periods when I visit Jordan's grave every day, and there are periods when I don't want to go," he said.

When Carmeli's parents, Alon and Dalia, decided to make aliyah, they were reunited in Israel with their two US-born daughters, who had made aliyah before their brother and were already living here.

"When we came for the funeral, I said I wasn't going back to the US. I told my husband, sell the businesses because I don't want to go back with you," Dalia said.

Most of the family's businesses were sold to the first interested buyer.

"We didn't care about the price. We had gotten to the point where the money wasn't important," Dalia said.

In her first two years back in Israel, she would spend about seven hours a day by Sean's grave, but she says that now, she understands that "Sean is with me everywhere, so I only go [to the cemetery] twice a week."

"We couldn't leave Sean alone in Israel," said Alon Carmeli.

"Sean's moving funeral also played a part in the decision. It's hard to put into words how touching it was to see crowds of people and fans of Maccabi Haifa who hadn't even known him come to pay their last respects and thank him for sacrificing his life for the sake of the country. We realized that in the US we would never receive the support we received and are still receiving here in Israel."

Five years after the young lone soldiers died, many Israelis continue to touch the families' hearts by paying visits to the graves of Sean, Max, and Jordan.

"A lot of people attend his memorial ceremonies, mostly fans and officials from the Maccabi Haifa soccer club, which Sean was a rabid fan of. I already know a lot of them, because they come back every year for memorial ceremonies. I know that Maccabi Haifa fans go there a lot before the team's games at the Sami Ofer Stadium, [which] is nearby. I know this from the candles and the team items that they leave on his grave. It's hard to explain how touching that is," Dalia said.

Paige Steinberg says she wants to "thank the people of Israel for keeping their promise to my family, not to forget Max and the rest of the soldiers. The love and support we are getting has given us strength since we lost Max. We are grateful."

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Sirens blared across the country at 11 a.m., bringing traffic on roads and highways throughout Israel to a halt as pedestrians stopped in place to bow their heads in silence.

A state ceremony for fallen soldiers at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem began immediately following the moment of silence, with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin in attendance.

Speaking at the ceremony, Netanyahu vowed never to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons as Tehran announced that it was rolling back its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Netanyahu was scheduled to attend another ceremony later Wednesday afternoon in honor of victims of terrorist attacks.

Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism is a solemn day in Israel, with over 1.5 million Israelis were expected to pay their respects at the gravesides of those killed in wars or terror attacks throughout Israel's history in 52 official military cemeteries and hundreds of other smaller military sections in civilian cemeteries across the country.

At ceremonies on Tuesday evening, both Netanyahu and Rivlin told bereaved families that the sacrifice of Israel's fallen soldiers has allowed the Jewish people to live freely in their homeland and vowed to continue working to return the bodies of fallen soldiers still missing.

Memorial Day commemorations began Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. with another moment of silence ushering in the annual 24-hour period of mourning that will transition to patriotic celebration of Israel's 71st Independence Day on Wednesday evening.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.

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Shir explained Tuesday that currently, brothers and sisters of the fallen have no official standing. After a soldier is killed or a civilian dies in a terrorist attack, the victim's parents, spouse, and children receive notification. Siblings, however, do not. Siblings also do not receive official invitations to memorial ceremonies.

Shir noted that in cases in which bereaved siblings of fallen IDF soldiers require financial assistance to pay for grief counseling, they do not receive it automatically, although they can apply for help.

If the Knesset passes Shir's bill, the Defense Ministry and the IDF will be required to notify the brothers and sisters of any fallen soldier, police officer, border police officer, or member of Israel's other security forces, in addition to their parents, widow/er, and children. These instructions would also apply in cases of civilians who are killed in terrorist attacks.

The bill also proposes making the Defense Ministry legally responsible for paying the cost of psychological treatment for bereaved siblings who need it, as well as grants that would cover up to half the cost of a B.A. degree for bereaved siblings.

Eli Dabi, founder of Lenetzach Ahi, a group that supports bereaved siblings, and an active member of the Yad Labanim organization, said that "until now, bereaved siblings were invisible to the government ministries."

Dabi said that siblings receive all their information about their loss from their grieving parents, and if their parents are not alive, no one notifies them.

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This evening, when the Jewish state enters into a 24-hour mourning period for all the fallen soldiers and civilian victims of terrorism who have been killed since its inception, four new names will have been added to the list. Four new sets of spouses, children, parents and siblings will have earned the dreaded label of "bereaved."

Each will wish he or she could have turned the clock back to the minute before Moshe Agadi, Moshe Feder, Ziad al-Hamamda and Pinchas Menachem Pashwazman were murdered by missile fire that changed the course of their history.

Agadi, a 58-year-old father of four, was killed on Saturday night when a rocket hit his Ashkelon home. He had gone outside to smoke a cigarette and didn't make it back to the bomb shelter in time to avoid being struck by shrapnel in his chest and stomach.

Moshe Feder, a 68-year-old father of two from Kfar Saba, was killed on Sunday while on his way to Erez Thermoplastic Products, the plant near the Gaza border where he worked as head roofer. Feder's car was targeted by a Kornet anti-tank guided missile.

Ziad al-Hamamda, a 47-year-old Bedouin Israeli father of seven, was killed on Sunday by shrapnel to the chest when the factory where he worked in Ashkelon took a direct hit by a rocket.

Pinchas Menachem Pashwazman, a 21-year-old married father of a toddler, was killed on Sunday as well. A dual Israeli-American citizen, he was hit in the chest by shrapnel while running in the stairwell of an Ashdod building towards its bomb shelter.

Four Israelis, whose lives had nothing particular in common last week, are now indelibly linked in death. All slaughtered by bloodthirsty Palestinian jihadists bent on Israel's destruction. All forever connected by virtue of the latest, but by no means the last, onslaught from Gaza.

Four families whose names will always be noted and quoted together by virtue of their shared tragedy over the course of a single fateful weekend.

What they will not be, however, is forgotten. Unlike the terrorists with a grip on Gaza – who have spent the billions of dollars, euros and shekels earmarked for "rehabilitation" on deadly weapons, while using their people as hapless human shields and faceless cannon fodder – Israelis honor every individual casualty of war.

Indeed, reading aloud the names, ages and circumstances of the deaths of each will be part and parcel of the solemn events held in schools, community centers, parks and cemeteries across the country beginning tonight and continuing through Wednesday.

Two sirens will be sounded: the first, for one minute, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday; the second, for two minutes, on Wednesday at 11 a.m. When these sirens go off, everyone in the country will stand in silence, head lowered, to pay homage to Israel's fallen.

Undoubtedly, some people's hearts will jump at the sound, believing it to indicate yet another rocket barrage.

Though air-raid sirens rise and fall, while those used for mourning are monotone, it is hard at times for traumatized members of the public to distinguish between them. Just as many young children who were taught last week to stand in silence for Holocaust Remembrance Day mistakenly assumed the somber position when they heard the warning of an incoming blitz from Gaza, adults this week are likely to be confused in the opposite direction. The irony is as tragic as the situation is untenable.

Yet somehow, in spite of it all, Israelis continue to rank high on the happiness scale, and, according to a new study by the Israel Democracy Institute, a majority believes that the country's achievements outweigh its failures.

This cheer will be in full display as soon as Memorial Day ends on Wednesday evening and the country erupts into celebration for Independence Day. Fear of missiles and the act of mourning will be replaced by fireworks and dancing at night, and barbecues the following day.

While Hamas and Islamic Jihad plot their next assault on the Jewish state from their hell-hole in Gaza, we Israelis will be wishing our thriving democracy a happy 71st birthday with a vengeance.

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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