A massive memorial candle will light up the rooftop of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on the occasion of the Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Hostile Acts, which is being marked starting Monday night, the ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry’s offices will be illuminated with Israeli flags, the word Yizkor (“Remember”) and the number 25,648, representing the number of fallen since 1860, when Jewish residents began establishing neighborhoods outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls, it said. As part of the display, a large memorial candle will be projected onto the building’s rooftop helipad.
The initiative is part of a national remembrance initiative tied to the ministry’s official commemoration website for Yom Hazikaron.
“Citizens who wish to light a candle in memory of Israel’s fallen are invited to write a dedication on the Ministry of Defense’s ‘Yizkor’ website and share it on social media,” the ministry stated.
A total of 174 Israeli soldiers have been killed during their military service since last Yom Hazikaron, according to figures released by the Defense Ministry.
Another 54 disabled veterans died over the past year due to complications from wounds sustained during their service and were also recognized as fallen service members.
