Invitation to bereaved families for involvement in Yom Hazikaron Commemoration 2012

On Yom Hazikaron we honour the memory of the men and women who have given their lives for the creation and continued security of the State of Israel. 

Melbourne’s annual Yom Hazikaron Communal Commemoration is the time our community collectively grieves and pays tribute to Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror and can offer some solace to bereaved families and friends of the fallen. This year’s Yom Hazikaron Communal Commemoration is taking place on Tuesday evening 24th April 2012 at 7.45 pm (doors open at 7 pm) at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University Clayton Campus.

At the Yom Hazikaron Commemoration last year Ricky Benjamin Lebenholc who was named after his great uncle Benjamin Kopetz z”l lit a candle in his honor. His great uncle arrived in Eretz Israel in 1943 after having escaped the horrors of Europe. He joined the Palmach at the start of the War of Independence and was later reunited with his parents but only briefly as he died soon after while serving his country. On Yom Hazikaron we commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of individuals such as Mr Kopetz z”l who fought for a Jewish homeland to ensure the survival of the Jewish people.

The Melbourne Yom Hazikaron Communal Commemoration gives an opportunity for bereaved families and friends to highlight the story and bravery of a fallen loved one and at the same time bring the whole community together in a show of solidarity to collectively commemorate and pay tribute to our fallen heroes. May their memories be forever blessed.

A most important aspect of the Yom Hazikaron Commemoration is direct involvement by community members who have lost a family member or friend in one of Israel’s wars or terrorist attacks. The sensitivity involved in this occasion means that participation in the ceremony, which is completely bilingual, will of course depend entirely on the family and may include the lighting of a candle which is accompanied by the reading of a biography of the fallen, a photo in the program which every attendee receives and organised seating in the hall.

In order to include as many bereaved families and friends as possible, the co-hosting organisations invite you to contact Keren Smolarski at the Zionist Council of Victoria with information about the fallen family member or friend, at keren@zionismvictoria.org.au or call 03-9272 5544.

If you know of someone who has lost a member of their family or friend please forward them this message so that they too can be involved.

For more information contact:
Keren Smolarski – Yom Hazikaron Co-ordinator, Zionist Council of Victoria 03-9272 5544
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The Zionist Council of Victoria leads and encourages Jewish and Zionist activity and expression within Victoria, to represent the Jewish community, to promote and communicate Israel’s interests within the broader Victorian community and to promote Victoria’s relationship with Israel. For more information, visit the Zionist Council of Victoria website www.zionismvictoria.org.au