Memorial Day In Israel and The United States, Important To Remember

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Memorial Day in the USA, falling on this coming Monday, May 25, 2026 is a solemn federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning U.S.military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. It is distinct from Veterans Day, which is a day to celebrate and thank all American veterans, living or deceased, who have honorably served in the military.  In other words, the veterans who served in the military were one of our most important products of living in a Democratic world.  We must not let our history of such wars and who had fallen in the act of defending us be forgotten.  

Israel has had to fight many wars even before its birth of May 14, 1948 and the many fallen have also been remembered with Israel's Memorial Day, known as Yom HaZikaron, that is a solemn national day of remembrance honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. It takes place annually on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar (Yom HaZikaron) in 2026 was observed from sundown on Monday, April 20 until nightfall on Tuesday, April 21 , which falls one day before Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) to symbolically connect the sacrifices made for the nation's existence to the joy of its independence.  

The Sounding of the Sirens: The most defining features of the day are two nationwide sirens that bring the entire country to a standstill. The first siren sounds at 8:00 PM marking the start of the day, and the second sounds at 11:00 AM. During these two minutes, citizens pause their activities, get out of their cars on highways, and stand in total silence to honor the fallen.                                              

Closures and Broadcasting: By law, all places of public entertainment are closed during the 24 hours of the observance. Radio and television stations alter their programming to broadcast documentaries, stories of fallen soldiers, and scrolls of names rather than regular programming.                            

Ceremonies: Official state ceremonies are held throughout the country, notably at the Western Wall and the national military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Smaller memorial services are simultaneously held in schools, community centers, and local cemeteries.

Meaning of USA Memorial Day: It is a day of reflection and remembrance specifically reserved for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in service to the country.

 Originally known as "Decoration Day" in the post-Civil War era, it was a time for citizens to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with spring flowers.  It is  observed annually on the last Monday in May. Because of its somber nature, it is generally considered inappropriate to wish someone a "Happy Memorial Day." Instead, the proper sentiment is to observe it respectfully or thank a Gold Star family.

Bill Ivey,  an American folklorist and author, was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) ... said, "Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and as we prepare to celebrate what has become the traditional start of summer, I think it is important to pause and reflect on the true meaning of this holiday: it is a time to remember those servicemembers who have died fighting for our country.

The first national observance of those who gave their lives in the defense of freedom was in 1868, specifically honoring the Soldiers and Sailors who had perished in the Civil War. As time went on, and conflicts ensued, we added to that growing list of men and women who had given their last full measure of devotion. The two world wars in the first half of the 20th Century cemented this day of remembrance, and it officially became a national holiday.

A discovery by a Yale University professor at a Harvard archive suggests the earliest observance of Memorial Day was held by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865. Records show that the group transformed a racetrack that had once served as a prison for Union captives into a proper burial site. On May 1, 1865, thousands gathered for a procession led by 3,000 school children carrying flowers and singing patriotic songs.

In 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day when President Johnson signed a presidential proclamation stating Waterloo celebrated the first Memorial Day. That day, in 1866, the city closed all businesses so residents could decorate the gravesites of soldiers with flowers and American flags.   Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery honor fallen U.S. service members. Signature events feature

the solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Memorial Amphitheater, and the iconic "Flags In" tradition where service members place hundreds of thousands of American flags before every headstone

Other records show that the first Memorial Day came after the Civil War, when communities came together at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. It remains one of the country’s most notable Memorial Day ceremonies.

Precious Lives of USA and Israel and How They Are Remembered in May

 Nadene Goldfoot     

   U.S. soldiers and Israeli soldiers pose for a photo during Austere      Challenge 12 in Hazor, Israel

The 2012 US-Israel military defense drill, codenamed Austere Challenge 12, was a military exercise between the United States, Israeli military, Germany and U.K., that took place in late October 2012.

The joint exercises were expected to test Israeli and American air defense systems, particularly Israel's ballistic missile defense against incoming missiles and rockets. A EUCOM commander would be responsible for approving Israeli requests to deploy US missile defense systems in Israel.

Senior American and Israeli defense officials discussed the possibility of postponing the exercise to late 2012. On January 13, 2012, it was postponed to October. Israeli military officials said the U.S government requested to delay the drill so as "not to heighten tensions" with Iran. A day prior to the cancellation, senior IAF officers said the drill was scheduled for Spring. The exercise is also expected to be the first time the EUCOM commander James Stavridis will participate in a multilateral drill with Israel.

Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said "diplomatic and regional reasons, the tensions and instability" were factors in delaying the exercise. Mark Regev, the spokesman for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the United States made the decision to delay the exercise "because it was not the right time.”

Although a report in August alleged that the number of troops involved was being reduced from 5,000 to about 1,000, in order to reduce the perception that the exercise was a cover for an attack on Iran, it was later reported that the size of the drill and the number of troops participating had not changed. Brigadier General Nitzan Nuriel, said that the matter was one "of logistics," and that the number of troops had hardly changed."  

This was to practice together to save their lives.  

                                

                                 Visiting soldier's graves at a cemetery 
     

Today is Memorial Day in the USA.  Most all stores close in remembrance.Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties. 

                                               

The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. The holiday was observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.Since the Revolutionary War of 1776 ended, 646,596 American troops have died in battle and more than 539,000 died from other, non-combat related causes.                                          

IDF Military Uniform 35 by Guy 191484

In Israel, they have Yom HaZikaron from May 3rd to May  4th..  Yom HaZikaron is the national remembrance day observed in Israel for all Israeli military personnel who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for those who have been killed subsequently while on active duty in Israel's armed forces. Enacted into law in 1963. While Yom HaZikaron has been traditionally dedicated to fallen soldiers, commemoration has also been extended to civilian victims of terrorism.Yom HaZikaron  As of Yom HaZikaron 2021, that number was 23,928.

                                                            

The day opens with a siren the preceding evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), given that in the Hebrew calendar system, a day begins at sunset. The siren is heard all over the country and lasts for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything, including driving on highways, and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect.

By law, all places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, and broadcasting and educational bodies note the solemnity of the day. Regular television programs cease for the day, and the names and ranks of every soldier who died for Israel are displayed in a 24-hour television broadcast.                  

Since the founding of the state, Israel has chosen the Dam Hamaccabim flower (Hebrew: דם המכבים, "Blood of the Maccabees") as the national memorial flower. The flower is depicted in many memorial sites and can be seen worn as stickers on shirts and jackets throughout Yom HaZikaron. Since 2019, the non-profit organization Dam HaMaccabim has been distributing pins with the real Red Everlasting flower throughout Israel and the United States.

Between 1948 and 1997, 20,093 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat, 75,000 Israelis were wounded, and nearly 100,000 Israelis were considered disabled army veterans.

In the White Paper of 1939 the British government limited Jewish immigration to Palestine to 75,000 over the following five years. European Jews were anxious for ways to leave Europe, but for the most part there were few options. No countries were willing to take Jewish immigrants. However, some Eastern European states were willing to give transit visas. During World War II, many countries denied or severely limited Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust, and Palestine was one of the few destinations available.

In post-Holocaust Europe, the 1,000,000 Jewish survivors were classified as "non-repatrifiable" by the Austrian and German government. In other words, Jews were not "officially allowed to leave the countries of Central and East Europe" by the allied powers, nor were they permitted to settle in Palestine by the British.

An unknown number of Jewish refugees perished en route from European ports to Palestine, and over 30,000 holocaust survivors who successfully immigrated were interned by the British in POW camps. Many immigrant ships were sunk during the British blockade.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_casualties_of_war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_US-Israel_military_exercise

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_HaZikaron#:~:text=Yom%20HaZikaron%20is%20the%20national,duty%20in%20Israel's%20armed%20forces.
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