iSRAELI Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has approved a recommendation from the Public Council for the Commemoration of Soldiers to allow the addition of the acronym Hy”d (Hashem yikom damo – May God avenge his blood) to military gravestones of fallen soldiers, upon their families’ request.
This decision follows an appeal from the family of Captain Yisrael Yudkin Hy”d, who was killed in Gaza. The family had contested the official wording on IDF tombstones, but the Ministry of Defense initially rejected their claim.
Minister Gallant directed the Ministry of Defense to revise the regulations for approval by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, as mandated by law.
The council, which includes members of bereaved families, and representatives from the Yad Labanim organization and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, convened today at the Minister’s request. They determined “by a majority vote that the phrase ‘Hashem yikom damo’ – [May God avenge his blood] is not an unusual expression, but an accepted wording that is part of the Jewish faith. Members of the council who were present at the discussion, recommended to change the regulations, so that it would be permitted to add this inscription to military tombstones of IDF soldiers who fell in battle, at their families’ request. The Council also recommended to add the option of writing ‘zichro / zichra livracha’ [of blessed memory] on military gravestones, again at the families’ request,” the council announced.
In recent weeks, families have been disputing with the Ministry of Defense over the addition of this inscription to their loved ones’ tombstones. After discussions, the Yudkin family decided to place a blank tombstone on their son’s grave until an agreement with the Ministry of Defense could be reached.
The family sought support from Knesset members, who began promoting legislation on the matter, and simultaneously launched a public campaign.
In a Channel 14 interview last week, Tzipi, mother of Captain Yisrael Yudkin Hy”d, expressed her anguish over the Ministry of Defense’s handling of their request.
“The IDF did not know what the Ministry of Defense required and as a haredi mother, I had demands of my own. I didn’t want the Gregorian date on the stone, but only the Jewish date. They agreed to that. Then I asked that the abbreviation Hy”d [May God avenge his blood] be engraved on his tombstone. This is not some kind of new concept. It is inscribed not only in Israel but on Jewish graves all over the world. Only the Jewish state forbids inscribing the acronym Hy”d on the gravestone of a Jewish soldier. It is incomprehensible,” she said, expressing her pain.
Tzipi Yudkin also spoke emotionally about the potential need to relocate their son’s grave due to the dispute. “This is a feasible option and it is hard to even say this, but it would be a real tragedy for the country if we had to remove him from Mount Herzl and take him to another holy place where we can engrave ‘May God avenge his blood’ on his tombstone. That would be the end of the State of Israel. For this, they will have to burn tires in the streets.”
“To remove this holy person from the grave, to hold another funeral, to sit shiva again, does that sound logical? I am not in Europe or the USA. I am in the Jewish state in the Land of Israel. I gave something so precious and I cannot think about it. It would finish me, but if this is what the state wants – let it be,” Tzipi concluded in tears.
{Matzav.com Israel}