Memorial Day, which begins this year on Tuesday evening, 3 May 3, 2022, is a day of collective and personal anguish mingled with honor for the fallen. The official events begin at 8:00 PM with a moment of national silence heralded by a one-minute siren.

A total of 28,284 men, women and children have been killed in terrorist attacks and in defense of the Land of Israel since 1860, the year that the first Jewish settlers left the secure walls of Jerusalem to build new Jewish neighborhoods.

The number of Israel's casualties of war stand at 24,068 as of May 2022. Since last Memorial Day, 56 new names were added to the roster of those who died defending the country. Another 84 disabled veterans died due to complications from injuries sustained during their service.

The number of civilian terror victims who perished in attacks totals 4,216.  

As happens every year, a siren will go off on the eve of Memorial Day at 8 p.m., and another one on Memorial Day itself at 11 a.m., during which the country will stand still for a moment of silence and remembrance for the fallen soldiers of the IDF.

In 2020, during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Memorial Day ceremonies took place without audiences, and smaller events planned for municipal cemeteries across the country were canceled for fear of coronavirus outbreaks. Last year, there were still some virus-related restrictions in place, but these have been lifted entirely this year.

Memorial Day will end on Wednesday evening (4 May 2022), ushering in Israel’s 74th Independence Day.