Sydney pays tribute to the fallen
The event brought community members together to commemorate Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
“Yom Hazikaron is the day when personal grief becomes a shared experience, when a nation’s heart beats as one,” declared Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon at the Yom Hazikaron ceremony held on Tuesday night at Central Synagogue.
The event, organised by the Zionist Council of NSW (ZCNSW) and JNF, brought community members together to commemorate Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism during a significant year of remembrance. Sydney’s Zionist youth movements also participated in the service.
“Across Israel, a siren will sound for two minutes, and everything will come to a halt. The noise will stop. The streets will be still. And in that silence, we will remember, together,” Maimon said.
ZCNSW vice-president Rebecca Lacey-Ehrlich addressed the impact of recent events, noting, “Since October 7, every day has carried the weight of mourning, like Yom Hazikaron.”
The ceremony acknowledged the 25,420 fallen Israeli soldiers and 5229 civilians who have been victims of terror attacks.
Speakers provided moving tributes to individuals who have been killed.
“We remember them all as lives filled with promise – each one an unfinished story,” Lacey-Ehrlich said.
Rabbi Yehuda Niasoff’s rendition of Avinu Shebashamayim, the prayer for Israel, resonated throughout the synagogue as attendees stood in unified remembrance.
The event ended with the singing of Hatikvah and Advance Australia Fair.
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