Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, has approved the Public Council for the Commemoration of Soldiers’ recommendation to add the acronym Hy"d, which stands for Hashem yikom damo - May G-d avenge his blood, to military gravestones of fallen soldiers, at their family’s request.
The decision was reached after the family of Captain Yisrael Yudkin OBM, who was killed in Gaza, appealed the official wording on IDF tombstones, but the Ministry of Defense did not accept their claim.
Minister Gallant instructed the Ministry of Defense to amend the regulations for approval by the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, as required by law.
The council, which consists of members of bereaved families and the representatives of the Yad Labanim organization and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, met today at the request of the Minister of Defense, and decided, “by a majority vote that that the phrase ‘Hashem yikom damo’ – [May G-d avenge his blood] is not an unusual expression, but an accepted wording that is part of the Jewish faith. Members of the council who were present at the discussion, recommended to change the regulations, so that it would be permitted to add this inscription to military tombstones of IDF soldiers who fell in battle, at their families’ request. The Council also recommended to add the option of writing 'zichro / zichra livracha' [of blessed memory] on military gravestones, again at the families’ request," the council announced.
In recent weeks, family members have been fighting with the Ministry of Defense, which did not allow them to add the inscription to their loved one's tombstone. After negotiations, the Yudkin family decided to erect a blank tombstone on the grave of their son, until reaching an understanding with the Ministry of Defense.
The family members enlisted the help of Knesset members who began promoting a bill on the issue and at the same time waged a public battle.
in an interview last week on Channel 14, Tzipi, mother of Captain Yisrael Yudkin Hy"d, had very harsh words about the way her family was treated by the Ministry of Defense.
"The IDF did not know what the Ministry of Defense required and as a haredi mother, I had demands of my own. I didn't want the Gregorian date on the stone, but only the Jewish date. They agreed to that. Then I asked that the abbreviation Hy”d [May God avenge his blood" be engraved on his tombstone. This is not some kind of new concept. It is inscribed not only in Israel but on Jewish graves all over the world. Only the Jewish state forbids inscribing the acronym Hy”d on the gravestone of a Jewish soldier. It is incomprehensible," said the mother in pain.
Tzipi Yudkin emotionally spoke about the possibility that due to the dispute, the family might be forced to move their son's grave to another cemetery. "This is a feasible option and it is hard to even say this, but it would be a real tragedy for the country if we had to remove him from Mount Herzl and take him to another holy place where we can engrave 'May God avenge his blood' on his tombstone. That would be the end of the State of Israel. For this, they will have to burn tires in the streets."
“To remove this holy person from the grave, to hold another funeral, to sit shiva [a week mourning period] again, does that sound logical? I am not in Europe or the USA. I am in the Jewish state in the Land of Israel. I gave something so precious and I cannot think about it. It would finish me, but if this is what the state wants – let it be,” Tzipi concluded in tears.