|
|
The Yom Kippur war brought Israel face to face with one of War's cruellest tragedies - that of the missing. In the course of this savage war many hundreds of the fallen remained unidentified and were listed as missing. Even now, after months of searching and after strenuous efforts at identification, there still remain dozens of fighters whose burial place is unknown.
Unfortunately, after each of the wars that Israel has fought since the State was established, we have been left with a group of the fallen who, although not unknown, have vanished without a trace and whose final resting place no one knows.
In this roll of warriors are to be found the names of some of the bravest fighters for Israel's independence and freedom. At the head of the roll are those who served in the ranks of the British Army, fought the Germans, and went to a watery grave - the 140 Drivers of the 462nd Transport Company and the 23 missing sailors.
In the course of the War of Independence there were dozens of fighters who fell on the various fronts and were buried no one knows where. In the Six-Day War and its aftermath there was a sharp increase in the number of the missing following the sinking of the destroyer "Flat" after being hit by Egyptian missiles and the mysterious disappearance of the submarine "Dakar".
To all the above, we must add those fliers and anonymous fighters who operated beyond enemy lines, were wounded and never returned.
In the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl there is a special plot dedicated to those whose burial place is unknown. Here memorials have been set up and to this spot come the members of their families to commune with the memory of their dear ones.
The 7th of Adar has been fixed as the national Day of Remembrance for the soldier whose burial place is unknown. This day is, by tradition, the day on which Moses died, of whom it was said "but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day" (Deut. 34.6). Each year, on this day, a national memorial service is held at the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery with the participation of members of the bereaved families, cabinet ministers, public figures and representatives of the Defence Forces. The people of Israel will always remember these fighters with feelings of love and pride and the record of their deeds will be forever engraved on their hearts.
