Tonight at sundown, the nation of Israel ushers in Memorial Day (Yom Hazikaron). Unlike in other parts of the Western world, where anonymous casualties are several times removed from the masses, Israel's Memorial Day involves no mega retail sales, no football games and no barbecues. It is a bleak day where the entire nation pauses to reflect on the sacrifices our heroes have made in the name of our elusive peace and security.

Tonight at 20:00, a siren wails and Jerusalem stands in silence for one minute to remember the fallen. The state ceremony takes place at the Western Wall, and tomorrow, a two-minute siren will wail at 11:00, and families and locales will hold their own ceremonies and memorials.

An alternative ceremony for Jerusalem's religious population will take place for the first time tonight at 20:00 at Binyanei Hauma, in an effort to reach out to those who have trouble relating to the conventional ceremonies and events.

Jerusalem's official municipal ceremony will take place tomorrow at Safra Square, starting at 9:15, featuring numerous speakers and musicians performing somber songs.

Photo of soldiers at Latrun courtesy of elliotfreeman from flickr under a creative commons license.