Israel remembers fallen soldiers
(VIDEO) Siren blares across country at exactly 11 a.m., marking beginning of services at schools, military units, military cemeteries in memory of 22,123 troops, civilians killed in wars, terror attacks since State's inception. Olmert: All fallen were brothers in arms
VIDEO - Israel is remembering 22,123 fallen soldiers and civilians on Tuesday. At 11 a.m. a siren will be sounded for 2 minutes, which will kick off remembrance ceremonies in 43 military cemeteries across the country. Ceremonies will also be held at schools and IDF bases.
The main ceremony was held at the Mount Herzel cemetery in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Moshe Katsav and IDF chief of general staff Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, attended the ceremony.
Video: Channel 2
"At this moment, bereaved families are visiting the tombs of their dear ones, dear to the nation, who fell in war. The number of humble tombstones is large and special. On each stone a rank, name, number and date. But each fallen is a world of his own, life that was ended in mid blossom, in which childhood and teenage chapters are folded," Olmert said in his speech.
"All we can do is to hug you lovingly, to extend our hands to you faithfully and supportively and to share heavy burden. Israel's debt to its martyrs is great," he told bereaved families present at the ceremony.
Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Road during siren (Photo: AFP)
Earlier Tuesday, the Israel Police held a remembrance service for fallen policemen and policewomen at the Herzel Cemetery, which was attended by police chief Moshe Karadi and families of police martyrs.
Police said 1,181 police officers lost their lives since Israel's establishment including 25 last year.
Victims of anti-Semitic attacks remembered
This year, for the first time, the Jewish Agency of Israel will hold a ceremony to commemorate Jews killed in anti-Semitic attacks across the world. Since 1968, 200 Jews have been killed in anti-Semitic attacks outside Israel.
Foreign Minister Livni at memorial service (Photo: Tomeriko)
Families of Turkish Jews killed in a 2003 attack at synagogue in Istanbul attended the ceremony. Jewish Agency Chairman Zeev Bielski evoked a number of anti-Semitic attack in his speech: 85 Jews were killed in an attack at the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in July 2004, the murder of Jewsih Agency envoy Shimon Feingold in Kiev in 1995 and the murder of Eilan Halimi in Paris two months ago.
"You are part of us, We are one big family of the Jewish people. Today we remember, for the first time, martyrs killed by enemies abroad, killed only for being Jews," he said.
On Monday, President Moshe Katsav led a remembrance ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Since last year's Remembrance Day, 138 soldiers and 45 civilians have been killed in terror attacks.
A siren was also sounded at 8 pm on Monday, marking the start of remembrance ceremonies.
Police and IDF forces have been placed on high alert as 85 terror warnings have been received over the last few days.
In a letter sent to families of fallen soldiers, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz wrote: "Throughout its existence, the State of Israel needed the courage of its martyrs. Thanks to the defense shield given by your loved ones, the state had hope. Thanks to them, the state flourished and developed, to the anger and wrath of its enemies it welcomed large numbers of immigrants from the world's four corners and built a free, productive, lively and advanced democracy."
Neta Sela and Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
