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| “It is our obligation to bring them to their final resting place” |
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21 February 2010 , 18:11
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| Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and President Shimon Peres at the national ceremony for the memorial of fallen IDF soldiers whose burial places are unknown. Photo: Ori Shifrin, IDF Spokesperson |
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| The national ceremony for the memorial of fallen IDF soldiers whose burial places are unknown was held Feb. 21 in the Har Herzl military ceremony. Photo: Ori Shifrin, IDF Spokesperson |
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Israel commemorated the Memorial Day for fallen soldiers with unknown burial places at a ceremony attended by senior officials and bereaved families
Arnon Ben Dror
On Sunday (Feb. 21), the IDF commemorated Memorial Day for Fallen IDF Soldiers with unknown burial places. The Hebrew date on which this day is marked each year, the 7th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, was chosen because on this day, according to legend, Moses, the leader of the Israelites, whose burial place is also unknown, passed away.
As of today, there are 568 names of fallen IDF soldiers whose burial places are unknown. In 2009, members of the specialized Eitan Branch within the Ministry of Defense and the Unit for the Commemoration of the Soldier in the Department of Family and Commemoration within the Ministry, succeeded in investigating and uncovering the burial places of 9 fallen soldiers.
The names of the fallen soldiers who were thus removed from the list of those commemorated today are: Yaakov Aviad, Sa’adiya Karoani, Shimon Halperin, Benyamin Ben Zion, Eliyahu Stromatza, Avraham Geler, Edward Logach, Avraham Haroi-Cohen and Yaakov Lazer.
“Difficulties will not deter us; passing time will not weaken us”
The national ceremony held Sunday morning at the Har Herzl military cemetery was attended by President Shimon Peres, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and other senior officials.
Matan Vilnai spoke at the ceremony and told the bereaved families: “Today we commemorate the passing of our leader Moses who guided and led the return of Children of Israel to their homeland, but did not merit seeing it. Your loved ones merited seeing it realized, they fought for its establishment, and they fell protecting it. It is now our obligation to do everything in our power in order to bring them to their final resting place.”
On a personal note, Vilani told the bereaved families that, “for many years I had the honor of wearing the IDF uniform, and there were years when I mourned the loss of my closest friends. I look at you and I know that at times I stood among those before you and among your loved ones that are no longer with you. The strength of the Israel Defense Forces is based on a variety of components, advanced technology, and sophisticated systems. However, all of this is worth nothing at all compared to the people who operate it all.”
Vilani emphasized: “The State of Israel does everything in its power in order to be able to bring its fallen soldiers to be buried in Israel. This is a moral obligation from the first. This is our obligation towards the fallen soldiers, who defended with their lives the establishment of the State, and our obligation towards you, their families. For many years already we, military and civilian bodies, in Israel and outside, have been working tirelessly, in widespread operations, parts of which are exposed and most of which are classified. The difficulties will not deter us and the passing time will not weaken our hands until the last of our sons has returned home, and will be laid in our land for his proper final rest.”
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