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1. Netanyahu: When Sirens Sound, We are One Family
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
When Memorial Day sirens sound, “We will all become one family,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said as Israel remembers fallen soldiers and terror victims. A one-minute siren sounded at 8 p.m. Tuesday and a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Prime Minister recalled his brother Yoni, who was the commander and the only IDF casualty in the daring raid on Entebbe to rescue more than 100 hostages on a plane hijacked to Uganda.
“Like you, my dear brothers and sisters, on every Memorial Day I think of my dear fallen brother; I think about my parents who lost their beloved son, and about my brother Iddo, who lost his eldest brother,” he said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also noted comrades who died when he was serving in the armed forces.
“I remember Chaim Ben Yona from Kibbutz Yehiam,” said the Prime Minister. "Chaim was an outstanding young man. He fell next to me while we were crossing the Suez Canal in the dead of night.
“I also remember my fellow soldiers Zohar Ben Linik and David Ben Hamo, both remarkable fellows who were killed during preparations for a military operation, shortly after we enlisted together to the Special Forces unit Sayeret Matkal. I escorted Zohar and David, who were seriously injured, to the hospital, where they were both pronounced dead….
"David Ben Hamo died in my arms on the drive from the training ground to the hospital…. When they say that it’s the best ones who fall, they mean people like Chaim and Zohar and David.
“Decades later, I visited David’s home in Beer Sheva, and I went into his room. The room was left exactly as he had left it the last time he was there. For us, the bereaved families, time stops as soon as we get the terrible news. A brutal sword rips our lives in two, and our lives will never be the same.
In a separate message to bereaved families, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “It was the heartfelt duty of our dear ones that led them to face the enemy…. Today, the People of Israel lay aside disagreements and stand as one beside you."
Remembrance Day is immediately followed by Independence Day – Yom HaAtzmaut. The Prime Minister remarked that thanks to Israel’s soldiers, especially those who fell, the State of Israel was reestablished.
“Thanks to them, the State of Israel will continue to develop and prosper, and thanks to them the members of the younger generation will also be able to live their lives in security and tranquility,” he told the families.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
When Memorial Day sirens sound, “We will all become one family,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said as Israel remembers fallen soldiers and terror victims. A one-minute siren sounded at 8 p.m. Tuesday and a two-minute siren will sound at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Prime Minister recalled his brother Yoni, who was the commander and the only IDF casualty in the daring raid on Entebbe to rescue more than 100 hostages on a plane hijacked to Uganda.
“Like you, my dear brothers and sisters, on every Memorial Day I think of my dear fallen brother; I think about my parents who lost their beloved son, and about my brother Iddo, who lost his eldest brother,” he said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also noted comrades who died when he was serving in the armed forces.
“I remember Chaim Ben Yona from Kibbutz Yehiam,” said the Prime Minister. "Chaim was an outstanding young man. He fell next to me while we were crossing the Suez Canal in the dead of night.
“I also remember my fellow soldiers Zohar Ben Linik and David Ben Hamo, both remarkable fellows who were killed during preparations for a military operation, shortly after we enlisted together to the Special Forces unit Sayeret Matkal. I escorted Zohar and David, who were seriously injured, to the hospital, where they were both pronounced dead….
"David Ben Hamo died in my arms on the drive from the training ground to the hospital…. When they say that it’s the best ones who fall, they mean people like Chaim and Zohar and David.
“Decades later, I visited David’s home in Beer Sheva, and I went into his room. The room was left exactly as he had left it the last time he was there. For us, the bereaved families, time stops as soon as we get the terrible news. A brutal sword rips our lives in two, and our lives will never be the same.
In a separate message to bereaved families, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “It was the heartfelt duty of our dear ones that led them to face the enemy…. Today, the People of Israel lay aside disagreements and stand as one beside you."
Remembrance Day is immediately followed by Independence Day – Yom HaAtzmaut. The Prime Minister remarked that thanks to Israel’s soldiers, especially those who fell, the State of Israel was reestablished.
“Thanks to them, the State of Israel will continue to develop and prosper, and thanks to them the members of the younger generation will also be able to live their lives in security and tranquility,” he told the families.
Tags: Memorial Day ,Binyamin Netahyahu ,IDF
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2. Midnight Fireworks in Jerusalem for Yom HaAtzmaut
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A large fireworks display beginning at 11:30 p.m. will end Wednesday evening’s Yom Ha'atzmaut festivities in Jerusalem’s Independence Park.
Music, singing and dancing will be the main activities in the capital after Israel marks the end of memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Terror victims at 7:45 p.m.and begins to celebrate 64 years of an independent State of Israel for the first time in almost 2,000 years.
Music popular in the religious-Zionist community will be featured at the HaMashbir stage, at King George Street in downtown Jerusalem. Bnei Akiva and the Ezra movement will dance, and the Pirchei Yerushalayim Band will appear.
Bands will perform at Kikar HaHatulot, and music oriented for the younger generation will take place at the pedestrian mall at Hillel Street, next to Ben Yehuda Street. Student associations helped program the activities.
Opposite the Old City Walls at Mamilla, students have organized DJ entertainment, with entrance by paid tickets.
Israeli folk dancing and a songfest will be featured at the stage at Safra Square-City Hall from 10:30 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A large fireworks display beginning at 11:30 p.m. will end Wednesday evening’s Yom Ha'atzmaut festivities in Jerusalem’s Independence Park.
Music, singing and dancing will be the main activities in the capital after Israel marks the end of memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Terror victims at 7:45 p.m.and begins to celebrate 64 years of an independent State of Israel for the first time in almost 2,000 years.
Music popular in the religious-Zionist community will be featured at the HaMashbir stage, at King George Street in downtown Jerusalem. Bnei Akiva and the Ezra movement will dance, and the Pirchei Yerushalayim Band will appear.
Bands will perform at Kikar HaHatulot, and music oriented for the younger generation will take place at the pedestrian mall at Hillel Street, next to Ben Yehuda Street. Student associations helped program the activities.
Opposite the Old City Walls at Mamilla, students have organized DJ entertainment, with entrance by paid tickets.
Israeli folk dancing and a songfest will be featured at the stage at Safra Square-City Hall from 10:30 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.
Tags: Yom Haatzmaut ,Jerusalem ,Independence Party
More on this topic
Comment on this story
3. Arabs Accused of Desecrating Memorial Day Commemoration
by David Lev
As Israelis in Ramle joined the rest of the country, standing in memory of fallen IDF soldiers at the opening of Memorial Day commemorations Tuesday night, they heard an atypical sound not usually associated with that solemn moment. Instead of just the sounding of the siren, Ramle residents heard explosions.
They weren't the sounds of bombs or missiles, as some residents thought – but the sound of fireworks being set off by local Arabs, at the exact moment that the sirens were sounding in memory of fallen soldiers.
Two 22-year old Arabs were arrested in the incident. They were released to house arrest. The two told police they were holding a party in their house during the time of the siren sounding. Outraged neighbors called police to complain about the carousing during the siren sounding, which was followed by official prayers and commemoration services in the city, as elsewhere.
An attorney for the pair said that the two hosts did not set off the fireworks themselves, and that the deed had been done by either a guest, or by someone off premises. “My clients are not connected to the fireworks. They respect Memorial Day, and police are merely harassing them,” the attorney said.
This was the second time in a week that Arabs were accused of violating sacred moments in Israel's national life. Jewish students at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at Haifa University complained over the weekend that Arab students made noise, whistled, shrieked, and laughed all throughout the sounding of the sirens on Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Memorial Day, last Thursday. Army Radio interviewed students from both schools who said that the Arabs talked during the sounding of the sirens, and when they were asked to respect the moment, they began shouting and laughing. The incidents occurred in numerous classrooms and sites on both campuses, the students said.
One Hebrew University student said that he, along with classmates, had gone out into the hallway from their classroom, with all the Jewish students standing at attention with bowed heads. Not only did the Arab students not do so, he said, but “they laughed and shouted in Arabic, and sang songs. Some people tried to quiet them, but they continued. These are not sounds we usually hear at the university. It sounded as if someone planned a provocation,” the student said.
A student at Haifa University told a similar story. “Some of the students went out of class during the siren, while I remained inside with several others. When the sirens sounded the Jewish students stood up while the Arabs talked loudly, joking and laughing. I asked them to be quiet, but they just yelled louder,” she said.
An Arab student at Haifa University who leads the local Hadash (Communist) Party group at the school said that the Arabs were victims of lies. “I am aware of these complaints,” Mohammed Halaila said. “They were designed to incite riots on campus and to hurt the image of the university. These students have an agenda. It is true that some Arab students did not stand up, but there was no laughing and cheering.”
Haifa University said in a statement that “we are not aware of these incidents, and if such incidents did occur we strongly condemn them. The university educates students to have respect for others, and we condemn any attempt to hurt the feelings of others.” Hebrew University responded to the incidents by saying that “we are sorry that there are some students who do not know how to respect the feelings of their fellow students. The university did not receive any official complaints on the matter. If such complaints are received and are found to be correct, the university will take disciplinary steps agains the offenders.”
Comment on this story
by David Lev
As Israelis in Ramle joined the rest of the country, standing in memory of fallen IDF soldiers at the opening of Memorial Day commemorations Tuesday night, they heard an atypical sound not usually associated with that solemn moment. Instead of just the sounding of the siren, Ramle residents heard explosions.
They weren't the sounds of bombs or missiles, as some residents thought – but the sound of fireworks being set off by local Arabs, at the exact moment that the sirens were sounding in memory of fallen soldiers.
Two 22-year old Arabs were arrested in the incident. They were released to house arrest. The two told police they were holding a party in their house during the time of the siren sounding. Outraged neighbors called police to complain about the carousing during the siren sounding, which was followed by official prayers and commemoration services in the city, as elsewhere.
An attorney for the pair said that the two hosts did not set off the fireworks themselves, and that the deed had been done by either a guest, or by someone off premises. “My clients are not connected to the fireworks. They respect Memorial Day, and police are merely harassing them,” the attorney said.
This was the second time in a week that Arabs were accused of violating sacred moments in Israel's national life. Jewish students at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at Haifa University complained over the weekend that Arab students made noise, whistled, shrieked, and laughed all throughout the sounding of the sirens on Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Memorial Day, last Thursday. Army Radio interviewed students from both schools who said that the Arabs talked during the sounding of the sirens, and when they were asked to respect the moment, they began shouting and laughing. The incidents occurred in numerous classrooms and sites on both campuses, the students said.
One Hebrew University student said that he, along with classmates, had gone out into the hallway from their classroom, with all the Jewish students standing at attention with bowed heads. Not only did the Arab students not do so, he said, but “they laughed and shouted in Arabic, and sang songs. Some people tried to quiet them, but they continued. These are not sounds we usually hear at the university. It sounded as if someone planned a provocation,” the student said.
A student at Haifa University told a similar story. “Some of the students went out of class during the siren, while I remained inside with several others. When the sirens sounded the Jewish students stood up while the Arabs talked loudly, joking and laughing. I asked them to be quiet, but they just yelled louder,” she said.
An Arab student at Haifa University who leads the local Hadash (Communist) Party group at the school said that the Arabs were victims of lies. “I am aware of these complaints,” Mohammed Halaila said. “They were designed to incite riots on campus and to hurt the image of the university. These students have an agenda. It is true that some Arab students did not stand up, but there was no laughing and cheering.”
Haifa University said in a statement that “we are not aware of these incidents, and if such incidents did occur we strongly condemn them. The university educates students to have respect for others, and we condemn any attempt to hurt the feelings of others.” Hebrew University responded to the incidents by saying that “we are sorry that there are some students who do not know how to respect the feelings of their fellow students. The university did not receive any official complaints on the matter. If such complaints are received and are found to be correct, the university will take disciplinary steps agains the offenders.”
Tags: Memorial Day ,Yom Hashoa ,Israeli Arabs
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Comment on this story
4. PA May Force Test on US Policy on Judea and Samaria
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Palestinian Authority may seize Israel’s intention to legalize three Jewish towns in Samaria and ask the United Nations Security Council for a condemnation.
The PA’s official WAFA website reported Wednesday that Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Saeb Erekat mentioned the possibility of going to the Council.
The Palestinian Authority’s ploy last year of trying to get the Council to recognize it as an independent country based on its own definition of borders without negotiations with Israel, failed. The PA also has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
The United States threatened to cast a veto if the PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas managed to win the necessary two-thirds majority for the motion to be approved by the General Assembly, where the PA is assured of a majority.
Abbas dropped the move when he realized he was one vote short.
However, the Obama administration would be placed in a tight corner if Abbas goes back to the Council with a motion to condemn Israel if it goes through with its intention to place a legal stamp of approval on three more communities in Judea and Samaria.
U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters Tuesday, “We are, obviously, concerned by the reports that we’ve seen. We have raised this with the Israeli Government and we are seeking clarification. You know where we are on settlements. We don’t think this is helpful to the [peace] process and we don’t accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity.”
Nuland declined to say what measures the American government would take if the communities of Bruchin, Rechelim, and Sansana are officially recognized by the Israel government. She said, “I’m not going to predict what further response there might be on our side.”
The Obama administration has overturned previous American policies and has stated that Israel has no legitimate right to any Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria and areas in Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinian Authority. However, it has said it would approve a “land swap” whereby Israel would give up other land in return for retaining major Jewish population centers, such as the cities of Maaleh Adumim and Beitar Illit and the communities in Gush Etzion, less than five miles south of Jerusalem.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Palestinian Authority may seize Israel’s intention to legalize three Jewish towns in Samaria and ask the United Nations Security Council for a condemnation.
The PA’s official WAFA website reported Wednesday that Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Saeb Erekat mentioned the possibility of going to the Council.
The Palestinian Authority’s ploy last year of trying to get the Council to recognize it as an independent country based on its own definition of borders without negotiations with Israel, failed. The PA also has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
The United States threatened to cast a veto if the PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas managed to win the necessary two-thirds majority for the motion to be approved by the General Assembly, where the PA is assured of a majority.
Abbas dropped the move when he realized he was one vote short.
However, the Obama administration would be placed in a tight corner if Abbas goes back to the Council with a motion to condemn Israel if it goes through with its intention to place a legal stamp of approval on three more communities in Judea and Samaria.
U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters Tuesday, “We are, obviously, concerned by the reports that we’ve seen. We have raised this with the Israeli Government and we are seeking clarification. You know where we are on settlements. We don’t think this is helpful to the [peace] process and we don’t accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity.”
Nuland declined to say what measures the American government would take if the communities of Bruchin, Rechelim, and Sansana are officially recognized by the Israel government. She said, “I’m not going to predict what further response there might be on our side.”
The Obama administration has overturned previous American policies and has stated that Israel has no legitimate right to any Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria and areas in Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinian Authority. However, it has said it would approve a “land swap” whereby Israel would give up other land in return for retaining major Jewish population centers, such as the cities of Maaleh Adumim and Beitar Illit and the communities in Gush Etzion, less than five miles south of Jerusalem.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. Rabbi Yosef: IDF Crucial for Torah Study
by David Lev
While some hareidi religious leaders have the reputation of being dismissive of the efforts of the IDF – and of advocating that as many young people as possible take on full-time yeshiva study instead of serving – Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Wednesday that without the IDF's efforts to defend the country and people of Israel, the notion of a yeshiva as it is understood in Israel today could not exist.
Rabbi Yosef, former Chief Rabbi and prolific author of dozens of books on Jewish law and philosophy, is considered the dean of the Sephardic Hareidi world, and is seen as one of the world's leading hareidi rabbinical leaders.
On Wednesday, Rabbi Yosef led prayers at his Har Nof home as he does daily, and offered a special remembrance prayer for fallen IDF soldiers, in commemoration of Memorial Day, which Israel is commemorating Wednesday.
As he began the prayer, Rabbi Yosef, according to a website that documents his speeches and lectures, said that “G-d should bless the IDF soldiers who stand on guard for our benefit. Without them, we could not learn Torah. We would be under the thumb of the evil persecutors who harm the Jewish people. G-d should preserve them and keep them alive and well, as it is He who is fighting against our enemies.”
Comment on this story
by David Lev
While some hareidi religious leaders have the reputation of being dismissive of the efforts of the IDF – and of advocating that as many young people as possible take on full-time yeshiva study instead of serving – Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Wednesday that without the IDF's efforts to defend the country and people of Israel, the notion of a yeshiva as it is understood in Israel today could not exist.
Rabbi Yosef, former Chief Rabbi and prolific author of dozens of books on Jewish law and philosophy, is considered the dean of the Sephardic Hareidi world, and is seen as one of the world's leading hareidi rabbinical leaders.
On Wednesday, Rabbi Yosef led prayers at his Har Nof home as he does daily, and offered a special remembrance prayer for fallen IDF soldiers, in commemoration of Memorial Day, which Israel is commemorating Wednesday.
As he began the prayer, Rabbi Yosef, according to a website that documents his speeches and lectures, said that “G-d should bless the IDF soldiers who stand on guard for our benefit. Without them, we could not learn Torah. We would be under the thumb of the evil persecutors who harm the Jewish people. G-d should preserve them and keep them alive and well, as it is He who is fighting against our enemies.”
Tags: IDF ,Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ,Memorial Day
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Arabs Accused of Desecrating Memorial Day Commemoration
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Chief Rabbi: Torah Study a Better Way to Celebrate National Days
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Comment on this story
6. Major Israeli Newspaper Runs Missionary Ad
by David Lev
For the first time, a major Israeli newspaper has accepted an ad from an open missionary group.
The economic daily Calcalist on Wednesday featured a large ad placed by Jews for Jesus offering readers an app that leads them to the organization's website, where there is a “hard sell” in Hebrew on why Jews should believe in Jesus.
The ad is printed on a background of the flag of Israel, clearly associating the ad, and the organization, with Israel's Memorial Day for fallen IDF soldiers, being commemorated on Wednesday.
While the ad does not appear to directly proselytize Calcalist readers, it does feature a mnemonic based on the Hebrew word for Jesus, “Yesh > Yeshu > Yeshua,” modeled after the popular mnemonic used by followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, “Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'Uman.”
The word “Yeshua” in Hebrew means “salvation,” and is used by Christian missionaries to justify their position that Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah. Jews, of course, reject this position, using as proof the fact that the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible associated with the Messiah, such as the arrival of an era of world peace, have not been fulfilled.
Early Christians changed the commandments, a further halakhic proof of a falseprophet.
Direct proselytization with the promise of a material benefit is against the law in Israel. However, there is no law against urging people to adopt a new belief or religion based on spiritual or philosophical principles.
The ad includes a QR code that readers can scan with their smartphones that installs an app produced by the group. The app directs users to the group's web site, where “issues of the day,” including politics and Jewish history, are discussed from a Christologic viewpoint. Among the claims made on the web site is that the Jews are to blame for the persecution they have experience over the generations, and especially for the Holocaust, because of their rejection of Jesus.
Anti-missionary groups slammed Calcalist for running the ad, with one activist saying they planned to sue Calcalist for printing an ad that was clearly misleading. “The ad implies that it is in memory of fallen IDF soldiers, but its real purpose is something else entirely. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Calcalist is a part of the Yediot Achronot publishing group, which is headed by Arnon Mozes.
Comment on this story
by David Lev
For the first time, a major Israeli newspaper has accepted an ad from an open missionary group.
The economic daily Calcalist on Wednesday featured a large ad placed by Jews for Jesus offering readers an app that leads them to the organization's website, where there is a “hard sell” in Hebrew on why Jews should believe in Jesus.
The ad is printed on a background of the flag of Israel, clearly associating the ad, and the organization, with Israel's Memorial Day for fallen IDF soldiers, being commemorated on Wednesday.
While the ad does not appear to directly proselytize Calcalist readers, it does feature a mnemonic based on the Hebrew word for Jesus, “Yesh > Yeshu > Yeshua,” modeled after the popular mnemonic used by followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, “Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'Uman.”
The word “Yeshua” in Hebrew means “salvation,” and is used by Christian missionaries to justify their position that Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah. Jews, of course, reject this position, using as proof the fact that the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible associated with the Messiah, such as the arrival of an era of world peace, have not been fulfilled.
Early Christians changed the commandments, a further halakhic proof of a falseprophet.
Direct proselytization with the promise of a material benefit is against the law in Israel. However, there is no law against urging people to adopt a new belief or religion based on spiritual or philosophical principles.
The ad includes a QR code that readers can scan with their smartphones that installs an app produced by the group. The app directs users to the group's web site, where “issues of the day,” including politics and Jewish history, are discussed from a Christologic viewpoint. Among the claims made on the web site is that the Jews are to blame for the persecution they have experience over the generations, and especially for the Holocaust, because of their rejection of Jesus.
Anti-missionary groups slammed Calcalist for running the ad, with one activist saying they planned to sue Calcalist for printing an ad that was clearly misleading. “The ad implies that it is in memory of fallen IDF soldiers, but its real purpose is something else entirely. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Calcalist is a part of the Yediot Achronot publishing group, which is headed by Arnon Mozes.
Tags: missionaries ,Calcalist ,Yediot Achronot
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Yad L'achim: 'Kids in Secular Schools Don't Know Shema'
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Missionary Victim of Arab Terror to be Buried in US
Comment on this story
7. Peres: Israel Still Under Threat, We'll Continue to Seek Peace
by Elad Benari
President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that, 64 years after it was established, Israel still has enemies who seek its destruction.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in honor of Memorial Day at the Western Wall plaza, Peres said, “Israel was born out of a big dream and it has built a reality that has exceeded the size of the dream. But still we must build and defend Israel. I dream of being able to just be a man of good news, I wish I could come here and tell you that the hatred towards our country has ceased. That our enemies have been defeated, that we will live only in peace, now and forever. But, unfortunately, we haven’t yet reached this.
“The State of Israel, that your children have paid the highest and most painful price for its creation, existence and security, its existence is certain. But its well-being is still under threat. There are those who lurking and wait for it,” Peres added.
Directly addressing the bereaved families, Peres said, “We will always owe your children. And ours. No act or gesture on our part can be a cure for your endless pain. The sleepless nights, the tears at the corner of the eye, the memories that won’t let go.”
He concluded by expressing his hope that “in the coming year, we will be able to defend ourselves and stand united and strong. We will continue to look for a way to bring peace to Israel.”
Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror officially began at 20:00 local time when the siren at the Western Wall sounded for one minute of silent remembrance.
The number who have fallen due to racial violence, war and terror in Israel since the First Aliya in 1860 presently stands at 22,993.
During its War of Independence the Jewish state lost 6,373 of its people, about 1% of its population, in the war. Of those 2477 were civilians. Some 120 foreign nationals, tourists, and workers were also killed during Israel's War of Independence.
Last year, 15 Israelis were killed in hostilities. A total of 126 soldiers died while on active duty with the IDF during 2011, as well.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that, 64 years after it was established, Israel still has enemies who seek its destruction.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in honor of Memorial Day at the Western Wall plaza, Peres said, “Israel was born out of a big dream and it has built a reality that has exceeded the size of the dream. But still we must build and defend Israel. I dream of being able to just be a man of good news, I wish I could come here and tell you that the hatred towards our country has ceased. That our enemies have been defeated, that we will live only in peace, now and forever. But, unfortunately, we haven’t yet reached this.
“The State of Israel, that your children have paid the highest and most painful price for its creation, existence and security, its existence is certain. But its well-being is still under threat. There are those who lurking and wait for it,” Peres added.
Directly addressing the bereaved families, Peres said, “We will always owe your children. And ours. No act or gesture on our part can be a cure for your endless pain. The sleepless nights, the tears at the corner of the eye, the memories that won’t let go.”
He concluded by expressing his hope that “in the coming year, we will be able to defend ourselves and stand united and strong. We will continue to look for a way to bring peace to Israel.”
Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror officially began at 20:00 local time when the siren at the Western Wall sounded for one minute of silent remembrance.
The number who have fallen due to racial violence, war and terror in Israel since the First Aliya in 1860 presently stands at 22,993.
During its War of Independence the Jewish state lost 6,373 of its people, about 1% of its population, in the war. Of those 2477 were civilians. Some 120 foreign nationals, tourists, and workers were also killed during Israel's War of Independence.
Last year, 15 Israelis were killed in hostilities. A total of 126 soldiers died while on active duty with the IDF during 2011, as well.
Tags: Shimon Peres ,Memorial Day ,yom hazikaron
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Arabs Accused of Desecrating Memorial Day Commemoration
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Rabbi Yosef: IDF Crucial for Torah Study
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Video in Memory of Victim of Terror at Yeshiva
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Video: Young Bereaved Israelis Talk of Their Loved Ones
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Egyptian Group Plans to Deface IDF Sinai Memorial
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Chief Rabbi: Torah Study a Better Way to Celebrate National Days
Comment on this story
8. Video, Photos: Studies Begin at New Itamar Study Hall
by Elad Benari
A new Beit Midrash [study hall] in the Shomron community of Itamar officially opened for studies on Monday.
The study hall is named Mishkan (Tabernacle of) Ehud, in memory of Itamar resident Rabbi Ehud (Udi) Fogel, who was murdered last year by terrorists along with his wife Ruth and three of their children.
Mishkan Ehud was officially dedicated last month at a special ceremony marking one year since the murder of the Fogel family.
The following video and photos document the exciting moments in which the students began their first study session in the new hall.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
A new Beit Midrash [study hall] in the Shomron community of Itamar officially opened for studies on Monday.
The study hall is named Mishkan (Tabernacle of) Ehud, in memory of Itamar resident Rabbi Ehud (Udi) Fogel, who was murdered last year by terrorists along with his wife Ruth and three of their children.
Mishkan Ehud was officially dedicated last month at a special ceremony marking one year since the murder of the Fogel family.
The following video and photos document the exciting moments in which the students began their first study session in the new hall.
Tags: Itamar ,Fogel Massacre
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Mizrachi UK Raises Money for the Fogel Children
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Ha'aretz Editor: Tsunami was Bigger News than Itamar Massacre
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Itamar's Jewish Shepherds Attacked by Arabs on Givat Arnon
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Itamar Sues over Haaretz Journalist’s Blood Libel
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Another 'Fogel Copycat' Attack Foiled
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