A nation mourns: Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day 2009 will be held this week in memoriam of the nation's 22,570 fallen, both soldiers and civilians.
The count is comprised of those who gave their lives for the State of Israel from1860 and on, and includes members of the Jewish Brigade and all branches of the Israeli armed forces – the military, police, the Shin Bet and the Mossad. The past year has seen 133 new names added to the somber count.
Remembrance Day events will commence on Sunday at 10 am, with a ceremony at the Military Cemetery on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi willlay the Israeli flag on the gravestone of Captain Yonatan Netanel, who was killed during Operation Cast Lead inthe Gaza Strip. Defense Ministry officials will follow by laying flags alongside every headstone in every one of the nation's 44 military cemeteries.
Remembrance Day's main assembly will be held on the capital's Ammunition Hill at 4:30 pm Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu atattendance. A one-minute memorial siren will sound across Israel at 8 pm, followed by the state service at the Western Wall Plaza.
The state memorial service marking Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day will be held on Mount Herzl, at 11 am Tuesday. A two-minute memorial siren will sound across the country at that time.
The state service for Israel's terror victims will be held on Mount Herzl at 1 pm Tuesday.