The Jewish Agency for Israel held its annual ceremony for Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism) in Jerusalem on May 13 in a commemoration that took on extra meaning this year following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and during “Operation Swords of Iron.”
More than 1,200 Israelis were murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 and more than 600 soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces have been killed in the war. One of the slain soldiers was British lone soldier Nathaniel Young, whose parents, Chantal and Nicky Young, spoke at Monday’s ceremony outside the National Institutions Building. About a month and a half after Nathaniel’s death, his parents decided to make aliyah.
The ceremony featured additional stories of soldiers who immigrated to Israel and voluntarily enlisted in the IDF, as well as the stories of family members of employees of Israeli national institutions who have been killed in the war and in terrorist attacks. Approximately 3,000 lone soldiers (those without immediate relatives living in Israel) serve in the IDF. According to data from the Jewish Agency, 17 lone soldiers have died so far during the war.
“The soldiers who leave their families behind and come alone from all over the world are heroes who defend our beloved country,” said Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency. “Their dedication is a clear expression of the unconditional love of Diaspora Jews.”
In addition to Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, the annual Yom Hazikaron ceremony pays tribute to Jews who were murdered in acts of terrorism and antisemitism around the world. The ceremony is organized by the Jewish Agency in partnership with the World Zionist Organization (WZO), Keren Hayesod, Keren Kayemet LeIsrael, Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.
Dignitaries in attendance included Almog; Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the WZO; Ifat Ovadia Luski, chairperson of KKL-JNF; Yaron Shavit, deputy chairman of the Jewish Agency; Amira Ahronovitz, CEO of the Jewish Agency; Becky Caspi, CEO of JFNA in Israel; Sarah Mali, CEO of Jewish Federations of Canada; Hanan Mor, chairman of the Jewish Agency Employees’ Organization; Bruce Sholk, chair of Jewish Agency Budget and Finance Committee; and Merav Mandelbaum, chair of the Wings Program.
