Yom Hazikaron in Australia
Thousands of members of Jewish communities throughout Australia attended commemoration events for Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance for the fallen military personnel of the IDF and victims of terror.
At each ceremony organised by state Zionist Councils, friends and family members of those who were lost lit candles in their memory.
• Melbourne: Nearly 1500 members of the community attended the Zionist Council of Victoria’s Yom Hazikaron ceremony at Robert Blackwood Hall, at Monash University. His Excellency Yuval Rotem, Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, spoke about Israel’s importance to the Jewish community in the Diaspora. Short videos recalled the Yom Kippur War on the year of its 40th anniversary.
Yom Haizaron in SYdney Pic; Dovi Meyer
• Sydney: At a packed hall at NCJW, 600 attended the Zionist Council of New South Wales’s Yom Hazikaron ceremony.
. His Excellency Meir Itzchaki, Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to Australia, spoke.
• Perth: More than 300 filled the Sylvia and Harry Hoffman Hall, at Carmel Primary School for the State Zionist Council of Western Australia’s Yom Hazikaron ceremony. Speakers included a Perth teacher and a bachura from Israel (who is part of the tzevet from the Perth Yeshiva), who each lost a brother in the Lebanon War.
• Adelaide: Eighty Israeli expats and local community members attended the Yom Hazikaron ceremony at Rose Harrison Hall, at Beit Shalom Synagogue, which was organised by Tarbut with support from the State Zionist Council of South Australia. This year’s event marks the largest turnout for an isolated Yom Hazikaron event in Adelaide. The tekes included video as well as poetry and other stories read by community members and several Jewish Adelaide Zionist Youth (JAZY) madrichim.
• Queensland: Fifty attended the State Zionist Council of Queensland’s Yom Hazikaron ceremony, at the South Brisbane Hebrew Congregation. The event was organised by Manny Szumer, from the Sunshine Coast Jewish Community. George Stein, who moved to Israel in 1945 and was one of the first members of the IDF, talked about his experiences in the 1948 War of Independence.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Philip Chester commented on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut:
Yom Hazikaron
It is of course sad that so many in our community have stories and memories of Israeli friends and family who lost their lives building and defending the State of Israel. It is, however, very important that we pay respect those who gave their lives by commemorating Yom Hazikaron, and the fact that this commemoration has become so much larger in the last few years speaks volumes of our community’s wish to honour their memories.
Yom Ha’atzmaut
Australian Jewry is one of the most committed and active Zionist communities in the world, which is something of which our Zionist movement is justifiably proud. The multitude and size of the events celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut throughout Australia is evidence of the deep and personal relationships that so many in our community have with the state and people of Israel.
The Embassy of Israel organised its Yom Hazikaron ceremony for the ACT’s Israeli families and Jewish community, with 80 attendees.
