Yom HaZikaron

iKaluach begins Yom HaZikaron in 5711 / 1951, the year it was established as a separate national remembrance day immediately before Yom Ha’atzmaut.

How the observance developed

In the first years of statehood, remembrance of those killed in the War of Independence was joined to Independence Day. Bereaved families and public discussion called for a distinct time of mourning. In 1951, a public council convened by Prime Minister and Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion recommended 4 Iyyar, the day before Independence Day, and the government accepted the separate observance.

The Knesset formally anchored the day in law in 1963. A 1980 amendment renamed and broadened the law so that the remembrance encompasses those who fell in Israel’s wars, including pre-state battles.

App starting point: Earlier commemorative activity existed, but iKaluach treats 5711 / 1951 as the first occurrence of Yom HaZikaron as its own observance.