Photo courtesy Knesset Spokesperson’s Unit The office of the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles is calling upon Los Angeles’ Jewish community to gather for a special Yom HaZikaron event on April 24th.
The event, which will take place at Stephen S. Wise Temple, will honor Israeli soldiers who were killed or wounded in service of their country, as well as victims of terrorism.
It has been over three years since the Israeli government’s Los Angeles arm has done a full-on Yom HaZikaron event, so the organizers are going all out to make the 1,000-person banquet not just a solemn moment of remembrance, but a soulful gathering of love and pride.
Putting the event together has been anything but easy for event organizer Revital Danker. As the consul for consular affairs in the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Southwest, she also represents the Ministry of Defense and coordinates the complicated casework of thousands of Israelis from California to Idaho. But due to the frequent changes in the coalition government in Israel, the office of the Consulate General is organizing the memorial event without a budget. That hasn’t kept them from putting together a meaningful Yom HaZikaron event.
“During the pandemic, we had no events whatsoever,” Danker told the Journal. “This year, we knew the event had to really bring something different, and really bring the community together.”
There will be musical performances by singers Oded Sabeg, Li-at Denker, the Consulate’s media specialist Sivan Fidelman and young members of the Hebrew Scouts and singer Ron Weinreich.
While serving in the IDF in 2006, Weinreich suffered a spinal cord injury that would confine him to a wheelchair. Still, Weinreich went on to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest as well as one of Israel’s highest-rated television shows, “Kokhav Nolad” (“A Star Is Born”). Weinreich will be appearing at the Yom HaZikaron event representing Israel Disabled Veterans/Beit Halochem.
The evening will also include remarks and participation by the diplomatic team, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and representatives of the bereaved families. Danker forewarned that there will be some raw emotions displayed in a speech to be given by the son of a fallen IDF soldier from Los Angeles.
According to the Knesset’s official Yom HaZikaron webpage, there have been 24,068 Israeli casualties of war (as of 2022), 43 military cemeteries in Israel, and eight wars since the Memorial Day’s inception.
The event marks the 75th anniversary of establishing a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, 60 years since the establishment of Yom HaZikaron in 1963 and 50 years since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. According to the Knesset’s official Yom HaZikaron webpage, there have been 24,068 Israeli casualties of war (as of 2022), 43 military cemeteries in Israel, and eight wars since the Memorial Day’s inception. In 1997, Yom HaZkiron was also proclaimed as the Memorial Day for Victims of Hostile Acts. The Knesset recognizes 4,216 victims of hostile acts, often terror attacks against Israelis.
The Ministry of Defense makes payments to the bereaved families of veterans and victims of terror. So the memorial event isn’t a fundraiser, but rather a gathering of American and Israeli community members for a “heart-to-heart evening” of gratitude, celebration of life and strengthening the bonds of the fifth-largest Jewish community in the world.
For that reason, this will mark the first time that the memorial event will be translated into English. Danker encourages everyone in the Los Angeles community to come attend on April 24th to stand in solidarity in memory of the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and the victims of terror whose lives were tragically cut short by hatred.
“We don’t want it to be an event just for Israelis,” Danker said. “This year, it marks 75 years for the State of Israel, and I want to do something really touching and moving.”
The Memorial Ceremony and Songs for the Fallen will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 24th at the Stephen Wise Temple, located at 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive in Los Angeles.
Casual attire is welcome.
Register to attend here: https://forms.gle/eUToXYMzwwh8BMeH8 (tap NEXT to sign up in English)
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