VI. Israel’s Memorial Day, 12-13 May 2024 – Yom Ha-Zikaron

HONORING THE FALLEN

As the spring months in northern Europe turn towards early-summer, we remember 7 October 2023 and the worst mass-atrocity against Jewish lives since the Second World War which ended nearly 80-years ago. Hamas fighters and many other Gazans perpetrated their crimes against the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, the open-air Tribe of Nova trance music festival in Re’im, Israel, and took part in the disgusting killings and hostage-taking in communities in southern Israel. We also remember the disruption to lives by missile attacks throughout the country in the succeeding hours and days. 

A thousand flowers shall yet flower in and between the fields, and shall bear witness that we have remembered them all

Yom Ha-Zikaron, or Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers, is marked each year on the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyar or in proximity to that date. In 2024 – it will be held from the evening of Sunday 12 May until the evening of Monday 13 May. The year before – 2023 – it was marked 24-25 April.

For many decades now, Israel has marked the day with the issue of a commemorative postage stamp. This is the seventh post to the blog showing some of these stamps.

The Memorial Day 1988 stamp (below) designed by M. Pereg had been issued on 19 April that year. 1988 was also of course the 40th anniversary of Israeli independence, and the colour-highlighted Hebrew letter shown on the 2.00 NIS stamp, ‘Mem’ (or ‘M’), is the letter that represents 40. Together, all the letters represent the Hebrew year, 5748. The tab reads:  ‘Memorial Day for the Fallen in Israel’s Battles – 1988’.

Memorial Day 1988 stamp designed by M. Pereg issued on 19 April 1988

The 1992 Memorial Day stamp (below) was designed by Yigal Gabay and issued on 26 April 1992 with a value of 0.85 NIS. As most stamps have shown in recent years, the 1992 issue was illustrated with an Israeli memorial, in this case the Memorial for the Fallen of the Border Guard. The Frontier Guard is known for the non-Jewish minority groups in its ranks – Druze, Bedouins, Circassians. The stamp shows the Frontier Guard memorial, off the Nahalal-Eiron Road, in the north of Israel, near Kfar Pines and Kfar Kara. On the tab is the IDF emblem, and a deep-green rectangle, the Guard’s color.

1992 Memorial Day stamp designed by Yigal Gabay, issued on 26 April 1992

Designed by Ruthi Elhanan and Malka Beckman, the Memorial Day 1996 stamp (below) with a value of 1.05 NIS was issued on 17 April 1996. The stamp honored the fallen of the Israeli police, and was illustrated with the Memorial Monument to the Fallen of the Israeli Police. The memorial is located at the National Police Academy in Kiryat Ata, near the Israel Police Museum in the eastern outskirts of Haifa.  The cornerstone for the memorial was laid on 31 August 1988 and the unveiling ceremony was held on 1 June 1992. The memorial was designed by architect Yosef Assa and includes a statue, memorial walls with the names of the fallen policemen, a square for ceremonies and an area for an amphitheatre.

Designed by Ruthi Elhanan and Malka Beckman, the Memorial Day 1996 stamp was issued on 17 April 1996

The 2008 Memorial Day stamp (below) was designed by Ronen Goldberg and was issued on 28 April 2008. Rather than illustrate one of Israel’s many memorials to the fallen, in 2008 the 1.55 NIS stamp showed a hemerocallis flower, a perennial flower of the lily family. With its flame-like colors, the flower symbolized commemoration, and the twilight clouds represented war and the toll it took. White doves and the blue sky symbolized hope and peace. Alongside all of these, was shown the Israeli flag.

The 2008 Memorial Day stamp designed by Ronen Goldberg was issued on 28 April 2008

The Memorial Day 2011 stamp (below) was designed by Osnat Eshel and issued on 12 April 2011 with a value of 1.70 NIS. While over many years the graphic design of Israeli Memorial Day stamps had been expressed through monuments, in some years a more symbolic design had been chosen, as in 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2021. The design of the 2011 stamp showing a green, tidy, floral village, reflected the lyrics of ‘We are from the same village’, by Naomi Shemer (1930-2004):

And on Friday evenings when a soft breeze passes through black tree tops, I remember you.

The Memorial Day 2011 stamp was designed by Osnat Eshel and issued on 12 April 2011

In 2012 the Memorial Day stamp (below) was designed by Yigal Gabai and issued on 17 April that year. The 1.70 NIS stamp was illustrated with a young person releasing a red balloon. The design was said to reflect the words and music of the song, ‘Mi Shechalam’ (‘He who dreamt’) by Didi Menosi (1928-2013) and Yochanan Zarai (1929-2016):

A thousand flowers shall yet flower in and between the fields, and shall bear witness that we have remembered them all.

In 2012 the Memorial Day stamp (below) designed by Yigal Gabai was issued on 17 April 2012

2021 saw the issued of another Memorial Day stamp with a symbolic design, again by Osnat Eshel. Coming out on 6 April 2021, the 2.50 NIS stamp was illustrated with a small seedling breaking through dry, baked ground (below).

The 2021 Memorial Day stamp designed by Osnat Eshel came out on 6 April 2021

In the creation of this post, the website of the Israel Philatelic Federation was used.

If you have enjoyed this post, why not read the other five which can be found here: I. Israel’s Memorial Day 2019; II. Israel’s Memorial Day, 2020; III. Israel’s Memorial Day, 2021; IV. Israel’s Memorial Day, 2022; and V. Israel’s Memorial Day, 2023.