Yom HaZikaron

Yom HaZikaron (Hebrew: יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן, lit. 'Remembrance day'), in full Yom HaZikaron LeHalelei Ma'arkhot Yisrael ul'Nifge'ei Pe'ulot HaEivah (Hebrew: יוֹם הזִּכָּרוֹן לְחַלְלֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְנִפְגְעֵי פְּעֻלּוֹת הָאֵיבָה, lit. 'Remembrance day for the fallen soldiers of the wars of Israel and victims of actions of terrorism'), is Israel's official day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and terrorism victims, enacted into Israeli law in 1963. While Yom HaZikaron has been traditionally dedicated to fallen soldiers, commemoration has also been extended to civilian victims of terrorism.

History

In 1949 and 1950, the first two years after the declaration of the State, memorial services for soldiers who fell in the War of Independence were held on Independence Day. Services at military cemeteries were coordinated between the IDF and the Ministry of Defense. A concern arose, expressed by families of fallen soldiers, to establish a separate memorial day observance distinct from the festive celebrations of national independence. In response, and in light of public debate on the issue, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion – also serving as Minister of Defense – established in January 1951 the "Public Council for Soldiers' Commemoration". This council recommended establishing the 4th of Iyyar, the day preceding Independence Day, as the "General Memorial Day for the Heroes of the War of Independence". This proposal won government approval that same year. The date of the observance was chosen to match the date of the Kfar Etzion massacre, in which 127 defenders were killed in the final battle for Gush Etzion on May 13, 1948, the day before the State of Israel declared its independence. The formal decision that the day of the Yom HaZikaron observance would take place back-to-back the day before Independence Day was made in 1963.