The Knesset held its annual Songs in Their Memory ceremony to mark the eve of Remembrance Day on Monday, with the participation of Israeli dignitaries and musicians who performed songs in memory of Israel’s fallen soldiers.
The ceremony was opened by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, standing at the Knesset’s plaza.
Bereaved families recounted the stories of the loved ones they lost who defended the country.
Israeli singers who performed at the ceremony included Harel Skaat, Maya Bouskilla, Mika Moshe, David D'Or, Liran Danino, Hagit Yaso, Akiva, and a military band.
While the ceremony would typically have been streamed live in the Knesset, it was pre-recorded this year due to the security situation amid tensions with Iran.
The national flags in the Knesset plaza were lowered to half-mast by Ohana and the Knesset guard as the eve of Remembrance Day began.
Ohana opened the ceremonies at the Knesset with the lighting of the parliament’s memorial candle, together with bereaved family members.
Asaf Friedman, father of the late St.-Sgt. Amit Friedman said, “Amit was our middle son. He served as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade's 932nd Battalion. He completed a commander’s course just five weeks before he fell."
“It happened during the battle in Rafah, on the day hostages were rescued. During the pursuit of the squad, Amit was hit and did not survive. He was a wonderful boy.”
Ronen Mechtaiev, father of the late Ori Mechtaiev, spoke on his son as well.
“Ori was our youngest son. He was killed three weeks before his 19th birthday. His goal was to serve the country. The values that guided him were friendship and camaraderie," he said.
“When I asked him if it was difficult, he used to answer: ‘It is hard for me, but nothing breaks me,'" he added.
Knesset torchbearers to participate in Independence Day celebrations
Earlier in the day, Ohana hosted an event for the Knesset torchbearers who will take part in the closing state ceremony for Remembrance Day and the opening ceremony of the 78th Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday evening.
Ohana presented the torchbearers who attended the ceremony with a Knesset Medal and told them, “Each in their own field, each in their own way, you have infused wind into the nation’s sails."
Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who holds the role of selecting who the torchbearers will be each year, spoke at the Knesset ceremony as well.
She said that the ceremony is torch bearers reflect "A very complex mosaic that must include all parts of Israeli society and connect to the chosen theme.”
“Every year anew, this puzzle comes together in a moving, respectful way that honors the State of Israel,” she added.
Among those chosen as the torch bearers who attended the Knesset ceremony were Ari Spitz, who was severely wounded serving in the Gaza Strip and lost both of his legs and an arm, along with Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, who served as the government's coordinator for hostages and missing persons in the two years following the October 7 attacks.
The selection of Hirsch for the role of a torchbearer has led to much criticism from bereaved families, after he was criticized for not demanding the return of the hostages as a “supreme goal” during the war by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.