Illustraion
IllustraionPhoto: Public Relations

The Ministry of Defense's Department of Families and Commemoration (DFC) broadened its technological means and launched on Sunday a new and unique application which coordinates the hundreds of existing memorial events for bereaved families in memory of Israel's fallen soldiers.

The idea for the application came from Ofer Mendelovich, father of Golani Staff Sergeant Oz Mendelovich who was killed in Operation Protective Edge. Mendelovich contacted the DFC, and together with the Telecommunications Division at the Ministry of Defense, launched the “Mechabkim Kol Hashanah” (embracing all year round) application.

In recent weeks, as Israel's Memorial Day approaches, bereaved families were invited to upload various remembrance events, such as parades, marathons, flotillas, bike-racing championships, tournaments, poetry reading, personal memorials and all other types of commemorative happenings.

“Mechabkim Kol Hashanah” is a location based widget, adapted to any smartphone (iPhone and Android). The widget will allow any user to be exposed to commemorative events held in the area, or anywhere else across the country, according to chronological dates, and provide navigation to them. Likewise, ceremonies in memory of the fallen soldiers will be published on the app.

“The Defense Ministry is inviting the public to download the app, participate in various memorial events, and embrace the bereaved families throughout the year. Hopefully the app will help the bereaved family members to inform the general public of memorial and commemoration events of loved ones, so that even those who did not know them, will be able to attend events and to honor their memory,” said Deputy Director-General and Head of the Commemoration Department in the Ministry of Defense, Aryeh Mualem.

The memorial website, Izkor, in memory of Israel's fallen soldiers, has also adapted their website for mobile use, where smartphone owners can read the stories of the fallen and light a virtual candle in memory.

Through the Izkor websites, users will be able to navigate to nearby military cemeteries, find maps of military fields and get directions to any grave.