The Knesset plenum approved early Friday morning at 4:40 a.m., just before it was dissolved, the law to commemorate the October 7 massacre in its second and third readings. The law defines the framework for national commemoration and establishes an authority that will work to create memorial projects dedicated to the events of October 7.
According to the bill, an official national day of remembrance will be held every year on the 24th of Tishrei. During the day, flags will be lowered to half-staff at state institutions, IDF bases and police and Prison Service facilities. State ceremonies will be held and “radio and television programming will reflect the unique character of the day of remembrance.”
The breached fence on October 7, 2023
In addition, the law calls for the establishment of a new corporation called the “Memorial Authority,” which will be responsible for implementing the law’s objectives and will receive an annual budget. The corporation will be managed by a 13-member council. During discussions, lawmakers spoke of the need for a diverse composition to ensure broad representation, but most of its members will be government representatives or individuals appointed on the government’s behalf. The individuals will be formally appointed by the prime minister.
The law also stipulates that a national memorial and remembrance site will be established in the Gaza border communities, alongside a museum. The facilities will be dedicated to research, documentation and education and will be open to the general public free of charge. Although the exact location was not specified in the law, there is speculation that the Nova festival site in Re’im will become the main memorial site.
The authority will consist of six representatives from government ministries and public bodies: the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Heritage Ministry, the Tekuma Directorate and a representative from either the National Insurance Institute’s Victims of Hostilities Division or its Rehabilitation Division. It will also include four representatives of families, survivors and hostages, who will be selected by the head of the Hostages Directorate, the Defense Ministry and the National Insurance Institute; and three representatives of local authorities and communities: a representative of the regional councils in the Gaza border area — Eshkol, Sha’ar HaNegev, Sdot Negev and Hof Ashkelon — a representative of the municipalities of Sderot and Ofakim and a representative of the settlement movements — the Kibbutz Movement, the Moshav Movement and the Religious Kibbutz Movement.
The law’s approval was preceded by numerous disputes. Initially, the Prime Minister’s Office opposed including the word “massacre” in the law’s title and sought to emphasize heroism. Following a public outcry and protests over the removal of the word “massacre,” a compromise was ultimately reached with the somewhat cumbersome title: “The Bill for the Memory of the Massacre and the Commemoration of Heroism on the 22nd of Tishrei (Simchat Torah) — October 7.”
Throughout the legislative process, changes were made to the bill following comments from bereaved families raised during Knesset discussions. One example involved the shelters along Route 232. A framework was established under which a local authority in whose jurisdiction a shelter where October 7 events took place is located must report to the Knesset Education Committee any decision regarding changes or relocation, including the public consultation process that preceded it.
One of the disputes that nearly derailed the law — which, as noted, passed at the last minute — concerned how the date would be commemorated. Some committee members and bereaved families sought to emphasize the Hebrew date of the massacre, the 22nd of Tishrei, while others argued that the Gregorian date, October 7, represents the only memory etched into public consciousness from the day of the disaster.
The law that was ultimately approved, it should be noted, does not have the full support of all sides. However, it reflects a measure of agreement reached after extensive discussions attended by bereaved families, hostage families, civilians, survivors and professional officials.