Two years ago (April 23, 2016) I wrote a blog post on Yom ha Zikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day. Please read. America has a lot to learn from how Israel remembers its history and its fallen.

Tonight begins Memorial Day and Yom haAtzma’ut, Independence Day – this year Israel celebrates its 70th year as a nation recognized by the United Nations. Memorial Day begins the preceding evening with a two minute national siren calling the nation to attention for a day of mourning the fallen.

Throughout the day the music on the radio is soft and pensive. With many songs of prayers and sad songs of remembrances of national tragedy. The television stations broadcast ceremonies from the graveyards and stories of the lives of the victims and heroes. All day. Nothing else.

Israel also has another way of remembering its fallen sons and daughters, both of soldiers and victims of terror. Throughout the land, monuments are erected, both corporate and private. They can be found in city parks; along the ocean drive; in the middle of forests; standing solitary in the desert sands; and in larger cities.

A particularly beautiful memorial is the pair of angel wings at the foot of a soldier’s grave in Netanya.

In our city, I came across a large monument rather obscurely placed in a local park. It is pretty hidden from the road, in a place the soldier liked to frequent… in a lovely secluded park near a small hiking trail-

Others are incredibly thoughtful and meaningful. These are usually more private memorials set up by immediate family members and friends. Early this spring as I was walking home from a friend’s house, I discovered this tribute to a young man who had given his life for his country. It was in one of his favorite places, close to his home, with a beautiful view of the valley below. He has left this earth and has walked up the stairs and through the door to heaven- his dog can be seen at the door. It’s poignant, beautiful, thoughtful, and my favorite.

There are other ways Israel remembers her war dead and victims of terror on this day. People wear small bouquets of the red flowers, Blood of the Maccabees. The tiny blooms signifying drops of blood.

From the setting of the sun until an hour after sunset, IDF soldiers are selected to stand guard at the graves of fallen soldiers in the national cemeteries. This year, my son was one of those chosen for this high honor. Throughout the day, free transportation is offered to those wishing to visit the graves of their loved ones. It is one of the most solemn days of the year. Ceremonies are held, sirens blare through the country at 10 am. All cars stop on the roads. People get out and take a minute to say a prayer and remember. It is all quite surreal, something you never forget. The siren blares into your innermost soul…. and the world stands still.

It is the most incredibly moving experience!! The entire nation comes to a complete standstill for two minutes!

Israel will never forget the tremendous cost of its freedom- of being surrounded by enemies, of the victims of acts of terror, of what it means to be the only Democracy in the Middle East. And the evening it ends, she celebrates that independence – knowing full well it’s price.