Every year Israel celebrates its Independence Day.

But the day before Israel is in mourning for the almost 30,000 men, women and children who lost their lives in Israel’s wars for survival or in vicious terror attacks.

The dichotomy is extreme because everybody in Israel knows at least one family who have lost a loved one. I myself have attended the funerals of 13 young people, former students, the children of friends, my wife’s class mates who died defending Israel or at the hands of terrorists.

My wife, Tsvia, was born on Bet HaEmek where we live, and she escorted 8 members of her high school class and six members of the kibbutz to their final resting place during the October 1973 war. For all of us, this day is a solemn one, one that, regardless of your religious views, is holy.

Across the country, people visit the graves of loved ones, friends, and people they served with in the IDF to remember them and honor them. At 11 a.m., as sirens wail across Israel, the country stops, and people stand for two minutes in silence in memory of the fallen.

For the families of these fallen heroes, every day is a “Remembrance Day”. They do not need to be reminded of their loss – it is a gaping chasm that can never be filled. For them, the adage that “time heals” means nothing. For them, time stopped that fateful day when they received the tragic news. Many, even years after, still watch the front door, hoping that, miraculously it will open and…

This is the one day of the year when political differences are put aside as the People of Israel gather in cemeteries, small and large across the country, stand together, united. We will never forget, always remember the sacrifices made by those fallen heroes and their families so that the State of Israel will continue to be secure.