Nation Marks a Post-October 7 Memorial Day

Stand for Israel  |  May 13, 2024

Israel's soldiers honor Memorial Day.
(Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

As Israel honored Memorial Day on Sunday evening, the nation mourned the tragedy of October 7, remembering all those lost, reports The Times of Israel:

Israel began marking a uniquely somber Memorial Day on Sunday evening, the first since Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre in southern Israel, as the country commemorated the deadliest year in five decades for those killed in war and terror.

The official state ceremony began at 8 p.m. at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday night, with President Isaac Herzog saying that the Jewish people have always dreamed of peace, but as long as Israel remains under attack “we will not lay down our swords.”

“I stand here, next to the remnants of our Temple, in torn garments. This tearing – a symbol of Jewish mourning, is a symbol of the mourning and sorrow of an entire people in this year. A year of national mourning,” Herzog said. “A symbol of a blood-drenched rend in the heart of the people. A tear in the heart of the State of Israel – shattered, bereaved, crying bitter tears, refusing to be comforted for its sons and daughters — soldiers and civilians, civilians and soldiers… a great tragedy has befallen us.”