The count begins in 1860, the year the first Jerusalem neighborhood was built outside the walls of the Old City. That year also marks the founding of the Jewish Company for the Settlement of the Holy Land.
The first victim on the list is Aharon Hershler, who was killed on Jan. 1, 1873, when murderous Arabs burst into his house. He is buried in the Mt. of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem.
The number of fallen soldiers is less than three days' worth of victims in Auschwitz. It includes those who fell before the establishment of the State in 1948 from the Bar-Giora, Nili, HaShomer, Haganah, Palmach, Etzel and Lechi military organizations. The number does not include those who fell in terrorist attacks, although they too are remembered on this day.
At 11:00 this morning, a two-minute siren was sounded across the country, marking the start of memorial services in 43 military cemeteries around the country. The central ceremony is held in Jerusalem's Mt. Herzl. At 1 PM, a state ceremony will be held for victims of terror attacks - a relatively new feature of official Memorial Day commemorations. At 8 PM, torches will be lit at Mt. Herzl, marking the conclusion of Memorial Day and the beginning of Israel's 58th Independence Day.
Over the past year, 138 soldiers and security force personnel fell in the line of duty.
It is estimated that close to 2,000 civilians - not including security personnel - were killed in terrorist and other attacks by Arabs between 1920 and the beginning of the Oslo War in September 2000.
Since the beginning of the Oslo War, 794 civilians have been murdered in terror attacks, including 42 tourists and foreign workers. Nearly 150 of these were children.
Click below to hear Alex Traiman's moving Memorial Day radio interview, with Rav Shmuel Weiss, father of fallen solder Ari Weiss, who died fighting in Shechem in 2002.
The Defense Ministry announced that official Memorial Day commemorations include three symbolic ceremonies: The lighting of a memorial candle, as per Jewish tradition; the laying of flower wreathes; and - ever since 5762 (2002) - the placing of small Israeli flag with a flame and a black Yizkor (Remember) ribbon on the grave of every one of the fallen victims.
President Moshe Katzav, speaking at the official ceremony at the Western Wall last night, said,
"We bow our heads in pain and sadness before you, the bereaved families. Our forefathers dreamt for generations of being able to touch the stones of this Western Wall and to pray here to G-d to be a free nation in our Land. Here in this most holy place, we unite with the memories of these Heroes of Israel who gave their lives for Israel's national revival.
"There is nothing in the history of nations to compare with the chronicles of Israel. All of Jewish history salutes those who fell.
"From the day we returned to our land, we have been forced to defend our homes from our enemies [who] have no concern for the sanctity of life... We will continue to stand firm in our just fight for just values. This path led to our independence, but we have not yet succeeded. We must continue united... Today, there are no differences; we are all one family."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said,
"We must not take our independence for granted. Those who wish us ill have not disappeared from the world... We must be strong. Our national unity is vital in buttressing our stand."
Click Here for a special Memorial Day radio broadcast with stories of "Miracles on the Battlefield." IsraelNationalRadio.com's Tamar Yonah interviews an IDF commander with spectacular stories that "send tingles down your spine."
The first victim on the list is Aharon Hershler, who was killed on Jan. 1, 1873, when murderous Arabs burst into his house. He is buried in the Mt. of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem.
The number of fallen soldiers is less than three days' worth of victims in Auschwitz. It includes those who fell before the establishment of the State in 1948 from the Bar-Giora, Nili, HaShomer, Haganah, Palmach, Etzel and Lechi military organizations. The number does not include those who fell in terrorist attacks, although they too are remembered on this day.
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz at a memorial ceremony
Over the past year, 138 soldiers and security force personnel fell in the line of duty.
It is estimated that close to 2,000 civilians - not including security personnel - were killed in terrorist and other attacks by Arabs between 1920 and the beginning of the Oslo War in September 2000.
Since the beginning of the Oslo War, 794 civilians have been murdered in terror attacks, including 42 tourists and foreign workers. Nearly 150 of these were children.
Click below to hear Alex Traiman's moving Memorial Day radio interview, with Rav Shmuel Weiss, father of fallen solder Ari Weiss, who died fighting in Shechem in 2002.
The Defense Ministry announced that official Memorial Day commemorations include three symbolic ceremonies: The lighting of a memorial candle, as per Jewish tradition; the laying of flower wreathes; and - ever since 5762 (2002) - the placing of small Israeli flag with a flame and a black Yizkor (Remember) ribbon on the grave of every one of the fallen victims.
President Moshe Katzav, speaking at the official ceremony at the Western Wall last night, said,
"We bow our heads in pain and sadness before you, the bereaved families. Our forefathers dreamt for generations of being able to touch the stones of this Western Wall and to pray here to G-d to be a free nation in our Land. Here in this most holy place, we unite with the memories of these Heroes of Israel who gave their lives for Israel's national revival.
"There is nothing in the history of nations to compare with the chronicles of Israel. All of Jewish history salutes those who fell.
"From the day we returned to our land, we have been forced to defend our homes from our enemies [who] have no concern for the sanctity of life... We will continue to stand firm in our just fight for just values. This path led to our independence, but we have not yet succeeded. We must continue united... Today, there are no differences; we are all one family."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said,
"We must not take our independence for granted. Those who wish us ill have not disappeared from the world... We must be strong. Our national unity is vital in buttressing our stand."
Click Here for a special Memorial Day radio broadcast with stories of "Miracles on the Battlefield." IsraelNationalRadio.com's Tamar Yonah interviews an IDF commander with spectacular stories that "send tingles down your spine."