Yom Hazikaron

Haredi commander leads a run in memory of fallen soldiers

Sgt. Shmili Yakter, a squad commander in the haredi Hashmonaim Brigade, spoke to haredi draft candidates about a run he held in memory of fallen soldiers.

Emotional diary written by fallen soldier

The family of Yehonatan Yosef Brand, who fell in Gaza, published an excerpt from his diary written on Memorial Day 2017 at a border outpost near Syria, reflecting on the fallen and his dedication to Israel.

Minister Waserlauf broke down in tears at his rabbi's grave

Minister Itshak Waserlauf broke down in tears at the grave of his rabbi, Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, of blessed memory, who was murdered while charging at a terrorist during an attack at the Ariel Junction.

Memorial Day ceremony

Netanyahu: The Iranian regime planned another Holocaust

Netanyahu honors fallen soldiers, reflects on personal loss, and underscores Israel’s resolve against existential threats.

Otniel Military Cemetery

Rabbi Kalmanson plays harmonica by son's grave

Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, who lost his son in the battle for Be'eri on October 7th, played the anthem and Ani Maamin at the Otniel Memorial Day ceremony.

Israel honors its fallen

Israeli Memorial Day ceremonies continue throughout the day with the reading of the names of the fallen at Mount Herzl. At 11, sirens will sound across the country, followed by the state memorial ceremony.

Netanyahu dons tefillin of fallen lone soldier

On Memorial Day morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu donned the tefillin that belonged to IDF Golani Brigade soldier First Sgt. Sean Carmeli, who fell in Operation Protective Edge.

Yom Hazikaron 5786 (2026):

Thoughts during the siren

The faces of the fallen swim before my eyes...

'No day without tears'

Prime Minister Netanyahu's Memorial Day message

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honors Israel’s fallen, emphasizing sacrifice, unity, and continued resolve as the nation faces ongoing security challenges.

Watch:

Captivity survivor prays for the State of Israel

Survivor of Hamas captivity Emily Damari recites the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel at Masa's international ceremony for Israel's Memorial Day.

Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzma'ut:

Before the Celebration, the Cost

The link between sacrifice and statehood is not historical, it is immediate, and it remains widely misunderstood.

Yom Hazikaron ceremony connects diaspora youth to Israel

At a Jerusalem ceremony, 3,000 Masa students honored Israel’s fallen, highlighting Diaspora unity, personal loss, and calls to strengthen Jewish life in Israel.

On the meaning of Israel's wars

These wars themselves are stages of the Redemption. Our wars are not like all the other wars in the world. We are engaged in a long and difficult war against war itself, against the impurity and evil which degrades mankind into wielding the sword and shedding blood.

The Warrior Teacher

Who was Rabbi Avi Goldberg, a military rabbi, captain in the IDF reserves, and beloved teacher at Himmelfarb Yeshiva High School in Jerusalem, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon in October 2024?

From the Depth of Loss to Atzma'ut:

The "Klal Gadol" binding us together

On Yom HaZikaron, as we stand in the depth of loss, we see what Rabbi Akiva shouted: We are one family. The soldiers currently on the front lines and those who have fallen do not check who is "religious enough" or "political enough.

'Thrilled to see you here'

IDF chief Eyal Zamir meets former hostage Matan Angrest

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir meets former hostage Matan Angrest during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, telling him: "I'm thrilled to see you here."

Do American Jews really care?

When the sirens sound, will we hear them?

Those who live in Israel sacrifice daily for the dream of Jewish peoplehood. We in the US, who do not yet live there, have a greater obligation to demonstrate that nothing, not ideology or geographical distance, can hold us apart.

On base and in Lebanon:

Haredi brigade salutes the fallen

The Hasmonean Brigade troops marked Memorial Day at the brigade's base in Israel and on the front in Lebanon honoring Israel's fallen

Tough is always good - The story of Hillel Diener

Sergeant First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, aged 21, from Talmon, a soldier in the Shimshon Battalion, Kfir Brigade, fell during combat in northern Gaza in December 2024.

Herzog at Western Wall: Fallen soldiers’ legacy is a song of life

President Isaac Herzog honors Israel’s fallen at the Western Wall, invoking unity, sacrifice and the enduring 'song of life' in Memorial Day address.

Israel remembers its fallen

Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, begins with a solemn state ceremony at the Western Wall.

Watch: Worldwide Memorial Day ceremony

On the eve of Yom HaZikaron, Masa' commemorates IDF soldiers and victims of terror together with hundreds of thousands of people.

Watch:

Memorial ceremony for terror victims

OneFamily organization holds memorial ceremony for civilian victims of hostile acts with participation of family and friends.

Parents reveal:

Oriya fell in attempt to rescue Bibas family

Parents of fallen soldier SSGT Oriya Ayimalk Goshen reveal to Arutz Sheva that their son fell in Operation Red Heart, which aimed to rescue the Bibas family from captivity in Gaza.

Memorial Day message:

Huckabee honors Israel’s fallen, backs US-Israel bond

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee expresses solidarity with Israel on Memorial Day, honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terror.

Haredi brigade clarifies: There will be a Memorial Day ceremony

Hasmonean Brigade stresses that even its troops operating in Lebanon will mark Memorial Day with a special ceremony on the front line.

Bereavement:

Impact of bereavement on work: new survey finds higher stress

A 2025 survey shows bereaved workers face higher stress, turnover, and safety risks, though some find strength in work.

Yom Ha'atzmaut:

Chief Rabbi calls for unity as prerequisite for victory

Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Kalman Ber, sends a special message to the nation ahead of Memorial Day for Soldiers and Yom Ha'atzmaut: 'Out of the darkness a great light will shine.'

Bereaved father:

'We are not families of bereavement, but families of heroism'

'Yom Hazikaron is a day of brokenness, meriting Independence Day,' Rabbi Yoram Eliyahu, father of Sergeant first class (res.) Yedidya Eliyahu, who fell in Gaza, says.

Chilling testimony:

Released hostage eulogizes his wife and two daughters

Released hostage Eli Sharabi eulogizes his wife and two daughters, who were brutally murdered on 10/7 describing their love, humility, and kindness and promising, 'We will never forget you.'

Netanyahu puts on tefillin of fallen soldier Yossi Hershovitz

On Yom Hazikaron, the Prime Minister put on the tefillin of Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, an educator who fell during the war.

Emotional letter written by fallen soldier to his grandmother

Adi, mother of fallen soldier Sergeant first class (res.) Idan Kenan, reads an emotional letter he wrote to his grandmother shortly before he was killed in Gaza.

From the OU

Message for Yom Hazikaron 5785

At this particularly difficult time, it is exceptionally important that we elevate the awareness and engagement of American Jews in commemorating this day and highlight the powerful worldview, of the Religious Zionist community that has borne a disproportionate number of the losses in the past year and a half.

Yom Hazikaron 5785

Thoughts during the siren

Two memorial days fall together each year, to remind us, beyond any doubt, how much it costs us to have our own state, and how much it costs us without.

Jerusalem remembers:

City walls illuminated in memory of the fallen

Jerusalem Municipality projects the names of the fallen on the city walls and displays the Israeli flag with the inscription "Yizkor" on the Chords Bridge.

Hostage survivor joins Israeli singer in emotional song

In a Yom Hazikaron event hostage survivor Sagui Dekel Chen joins Idan Raichel in singing 'Children of Life.'

PM to bereaved families:

'In the name of the fallen, we pursue the mission of victory'

At start of Yom Hazikaron, PM addresses bereaved families and quotes the daughter of fallen soldier Rabbi Avi Goldberg.

President Herzog:

'We must not bring about the destruction of our national home'

President Isaac Herzog addresses the official opening ceremony of Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, 'Our generation bears a historic responsibility: to safeguard, at all costs, our home—this precious miracle—our Jewish and democratic State of Israel.'

Yom Hazikaron:

Our Daniel fell 150 meters from Sinwar the monster

'It is important that Israel not only remember, but also embrace the character and values of the fallen into their hearts. These are noble souls. Let us be worthy of them,' bereaved father Shlomo Toaff says.

Watch:

Yom Hazikaron memorial ceremony at Museum of Tolerance

The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization host a ceremony honoring Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. ______

The Masa Yom HaZikaron Ceremony 2025

The Masa Yom HaZikaron Ceremony 2025 - Israel Memorial Day Ceremony

Live:

Memorial Day opening ceremony at the Western Wall

Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, begins this evening with a solemn ceremony at the Western Wall.

The OneFamily Memorial Day Ceremony

The OneFamily Memorial Day Ceremony is an intimate and emotional event; a sacred space where pain is recognized, where grief is not hidden, and where families can share, remember, and feel — without masks, and without needing to explain.

Netanyahu:

'After 10/7, the TikTok gen. proved they connect with reality'

PM tells story of fallen soldier Shaul Moyal during ceremony for Yom Hazikaron at Yad Lebanim. "The family of the bereaved is also my family."

Live:

Israeli Memorial Day opening ceremony

The Memorial Day ceremony for the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism at Yad L'Banim began this afternoon.

From Grief to Glory: The Sacred Rhythm of the Jewish People

In Israel fallen soldiers aren’t distant names etched on stone. They are classmates. Cousins. Neighbors. They are our kids’ friends. Our friends’ kids. No one is untouched. The silence of Yom HaZikaron is not symbolic—it is personal. It’s raw. It hurts.

Bereaved Sister:

'Cemetery protests were hurtful, I'm angry'

Edi Cohen-Meisels was shocked by the participants in the memorial ceremony in the cemetery who chose to shout at the government representative during the ceremony. "Shame on you."

Watch:

Salt of the Earth: Captain Eitan Fish Hy"d - an entire world

Watch the story of one IDF soldier out of the many fallen, each an entire world all by himself. One family out of the many, left with a gaping hole in its heart. For Yom Hazikaron.

Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzma'ut

“We say to the Jewish people in the Jewish State: Chazak, chazak venitchazek: You be strong, we will be strong, and let us strengthen one another.”

In phone conversation:

Sullivan, Israeli counterpart discuss alternatives to Rafah

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks with Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, expresses condolences on behalf of President Biden and the American people on Israel’s Memorial Day.

Watch:

Avraham Fried sings at Memorial Day ceremony

Singer Avraham Fried sings at the Gvura Forum tent, near the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Hundreds in attendance for Memorial Day ceremony with the bereaved families.

Yom Hazikaron 2024

Thoughts during the siren

I think of the price of freedom, of independence. And then I think of the price of not having freedom. The price which we commemorated a week ago, on Holocaust Memorial Day.

IDF's burial team share personal memories

‘There is no fallen soldier who does not leave you with some memory’ | IDF identification and burial team talk for the first time about their Day of Remembrance.

Memorial Day Statement:

Chief of Staff: 'I am responsible for failures of October 7'

Chief of the General Staff, LTG. Herzi Halevi accepts responsibility in speech at the Memorial Day open ceremony at the Western Wall.

Live broadcast from state memorial ceremony in Bnei Brak

The event will include readings of memories and longing, prayer episodes, memorial performances about the fallen, memorial songs and the reading of the names of the fallen.

Remembrance Day for the fallen is not one day this year

This year, however, there is no more Yom Ha’Zikaron (Remembrance Day)… because it has been replaced with Sh’nat Ha’Zikaron (Remembrance Year). Opinion.

Rabbi Rimon learns Mishnayot with bereaved children

Ahead of Memorial Day, Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, chairman of the Sulamot Foundation, talks about a Torah learning project for the elevation of the souls of the fallen or murdered.

Bereaved father:

'This is a day for the whole nation'

Rabbi Yehoshua Shani, whose son Uri was killed in action on October 7th, supports the participation of government representatives in memorial ceremonies.

Some reflections on Yom HaZikaron

American victims of Palestinian Arab terror should be looked at a bit differently than other terror victims because their government has let them down. Although I have suffered from that injustice, Yom Hazikaron calms me down. Op-ed.

Help mark Shabbat Tkumah

This Shabbat, the time between Yom Hashoa (Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day) this week, and Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and terror victims), followed immediately by Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) next week, says everything about the Jewish People.