Remembrance day

Tonight marks the beginning of Remembrance day (Yom Hazikaron) in Israel. It is the day on which Israel honors its fallen servicemen and women. National memorial services are held in the presence of Israel's top leadership and military personnel. The day opens the preceding evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), given that in the Hebrew calendar system days begin at sunset, with a siren. The siren is heard all over the country and lasts for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything (including driving, which stops highways) and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect. Many national-religious Jews say prayers for the souls of the fallen soldiers at this time as well. The official ceremony to mark the opening of the day takes place at the Western Wall, at which time the flag of Israel is lowered to half staff.

A two-minute siren is heard the following morning, at 11:00, which marks the opening of the official memorial ceremonies and private remembrance gathering which are held at each cemetery where soldiers are buried.

About this picture: On May 12th 2004, an APC was destroyed by the Hamas on the Philadelphi route. The APC exploded and the 5 soldiers on board all exploded as well. The soldiers on the picture are trying to recover body parts of the dead soldiers. In the documentary, the reporter got together with 6 of these soldiers to discuss how it affected them.