Yom Hazikaron

It’s really quite something to see pretty much an entire nation stop in its tracks for 2 minutes to collectively pay tribute to all of those who lost their lives on behalf of the state – fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The Photos above were taken today at Kikar Zion in down town Jerusalem, site of numerous terrorist bombings and arguably the busiest spot in the city.

The Jerusalem Post notes that:

A total of 22,123 servicemen and women have fallen in defense of the Land of Israel since record-keeping began in 1860, when the first Jews moved outside of Jerusalem’s Old City walls, including 138 members of the security forces killed in the last year alone… Since the beginning of the latest wave of Palestinian violence five-and-a-half years ago, 794 civilians have also been killed in terror attacks, including 45 who were murdered in the last year, according to figures released by the National Insurance Institute.About 18 percent of the civilians killed were children, while another 18% were immigrants who had moved to Israel since 1990.

Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) ends on Tuesday at 8 p.m. with the traditional torch-lighting ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery, “… marking the sudden transition from sadness and sorrow to joy and celebration with the start of Israel’s 58th Independence Day.”