ByALAN ROSENBAUM

On Tuesday evening, the State of Israel will mark the beginning of Yom HaZikaron, remembering Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks. This year, for the first time, the World Zionist Organization, in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense, has created a pre-recorded Yom HaZikaron State ceremony for Jewish communities worldwide. The forty-two-minute program, which was filmed at Mount Herzl, features performances by Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces, and the musical ensembles of the IDF and is hosted by noted Israeli television presenter, Dan Kanner youtube.The video, which is available on YouTube, combines narration, the songs of the military bands, and poignant videos about soldiers, with subtitles available in English and Spanish.


“We are one people with a common destiny,” said Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization. “It is for this reason that we are investing in this project, as well as others, to unite the Jewish people around the world.” Hagoel added that hundreds of Jewish communities around the world have expressed great interest in the video. He expects that the video will be viewed by individuals, as well as Jewish communal groups that will show it via Zoom and other forums. In addition to the pre-recorded Yom HaZikaron video, the World Zionist Organization will be broadcasting a live public sing-along program presenting Hebrew songs for Yom HaZikaron for members of the Israeli community living outside of Israel. The program will be broadcast live on the WZO website and Facebook page on Tuesday at 10:30 PM Israel time/3:30 PM EDT. “We are interested in every Jewish person, no matter where they live,” said Hagoel. “We have established a special department for Israelis living in the Diaspora, and we want to connect them to Israel.”