Israel Diamond Exchange President Yair Sahar: "We are here to remember and not to forget. To remember that out parents and their parents built this country with their hands, and that we and our children must do everything to preserve it."
"Remembrance Day is a special day for the State of Israel. A day when all of the people of Israel come together and unite with the families who have lost loved ones. There is hardly a home that this hurt has not affected. There is almost nobody who is not connected in one way or another to one of the 25,578 people who have fallen – either soldiers or victims of terror attacks. Families whose world fell apart, and all the thousands who were wounded and whose injuries remain with them and don't heal," said Israel Diamond Exchange President Yair Sahar in comments at the annual ceremony at the bourse yesterday (April 15).
"The State of Israel was founded on both grief and happiness".
Photo: Ya'ankale
The event, attended by the leadership of the exchange and guests, began following the two-minute siren in honor of the fallen. Following the siren, bourse member Yair Hendel read out David's lamentation to Jonathan from the Bible.
The chairman of the bourse's memorial's committee and honorary secretary, Hagai Halevy, who led the ceremony, said: "We stand in pain, sadness and pride in honor of our fallen brothers in arms, their families, the best of our sons and daughters who fell in honor of the Almighty, the people and the land of Israel in order to bring us peace and security.
"We, who are connected to the victims with our very souls, who marched alongside them in battles and saw them giving their lives; we carry them deep in our hearts at all times, in every place, and return year-after-year to memorials all over the country. And here in the trading hall at the diamond bourse, we remember and remind ourselves of their character and the daring operations.
IDE President Yair Sahar said: "This is only the second time in my 35 years in the diamond trade that I have taken part in the bourse's Remembrance Day ceremony. Before I was elected as bourse president, I used to go ever year to the cemetery at Givat Shaul to the grave of my dear uncle David Meir Cohen, may his memory be blessed.
"The grieving families among our friends, families of friends who fell and friends whose loved ones fell victim are, at this moment, in cemeteries across Israel. Our hearts are with them. Today is a day full of pain and sadness, but this evening we will all celebrate Independence Day. And again, as every year, we will ask ourselves how we can make that change from grief to happiness. How is it possible in one moment to end the pain and start celebrating?
"The State of Israel was founded on both grief and happiness, with great excitement and with sadness. Remembrance Day ends and Independence Day begins. The tears are exchanged with fireworks. We are here to remember and never forget. To remember that out parents and their parents built this country with their hands, and that we and our children must do everything to preserve it."
Concluding the ceremony, Yair Hendel read out the Jewish prayer for the dead, and members sang the national anthem, Hope.
