jerusalem | Israel bowed its head to mourn the 20,368 servicemen and women who have fallen in its defense since November 1947.
Including all those who fell defending the country since 1860, the number reaches 21,954.
In the past year, 169 members of Israeli security agencies and other organizations have been killed in the service of the state.
Remembrance Day officially began when President Moshe Katsav opened the ceremony at the Western Wall. Family members of fallen soldiers and Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Moshe Ya’alon also attended the ceremony.
A one-minute siren sounded across the country at 8 p.m., as citizens stopped in silent commemoration.
“Tonight all the people of Israel are standing in silence, bowing their heads, filled with pain and agony,” Katsav said.
“The price we paid for independence was extremely high. We are making every effort so that the next generation will be able to put down the guns.”
In his address, Ya’alon vowed never to forget. “We came to remember those who will always remain young in our imagination, so near but yet so far.”
The main Remembrance Day memorial took place at Mount Herzl simultaneously with 43 military cemeteries around the country. A second siren sounded at 11 a.m.
At sundown, the somber atmosphere abruptly gave way to fireworks displays, open-air concerts and spirited street festivities. Israelis explain the juxtaposition by saying that the soldiers who died gave their lives to help create a vibrant Jewish state.