Israel Grapples With Official Date for October 7th Memorial Day
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
Israel is observing memorial ceremonies for the October 7th massacre, with the official date set for 24 Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar. This date's proximity to the Gregorian October 7th varies annually, causing debate. The government's decision to use the Hebrew date was codified into law in July, following public disagreement. This situation mirrors past controversies, such as the establishment of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which also involved significant debate over its timing.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's official memorial day for the October 7th massacre is set for 24 Tishrei on the Hebrew calendar.
- The Gregorian date of the memorial day varies significantly each year, causing public debate.
- The government's decision to use the Hebrew date was codified into law in July.
- This debate echoes historical disagreements over the timing of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
- Holocaust Remembrance Day was ultimately set for 27 Nissan, shortly after Passover.
Israel is currently observing memorial ceremonies for the October 7th massacre, but the official date for the commemoration remains a subject of debate. The government has designated the Hebrew date, 24 Tishrei, for state and education system ceremonies, which falls two days after the Hebrew date of the Simchat Torah massacre. However, the timing of this Hebrew date relative to the Gregorian October 7th date varies significantly each year. In 2026, 24 Tishrei was close to October 7th, falling on October 5th. In contrast, in 2025, the Hebrew date was October 16th, and in 2027, it will be as late as October 25th, nearly three weeks after the actual event.
National memorial days in Israel are typically established through legislation or government decisions, with some initially decided by the government before being codified into law. Most Israeli memorial days are observed according to the Hebrew calendar, with exceptions like the day commemorating the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran (November 30th) and Victory Day over Nazi Germany (May 9th).
In March 2024, the government decided that the national memorial day for October 7th would be observed on 24 Tishrei. An exception was made for the first year, with a one-time ceremony also held on the Gregorian date of October 7th. This decision was later incorporated into law in July, titled the "Law for the Remembrance of the Massacre and Commemoration of Heroism on the 22nd of Tishrei (Simchat Torah) - October 7th, 5786-2026." This legislative action followed considerable public disagreement regarding whether to observe the day on the Hebrew or Gregorian calendar.
The controversy over the October 7th memorial date echoes past debates, notably concerning Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the 1950s, religious Zionists and the left-wing Mapam party disagreed on the date, with Mapam advocating for a date tied to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the religious bloc preferring the general Kaddish day. Ultimately, a committee in 1951 recommended a date linked to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, leading to the establishment of Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 Nissan, shortly after Passover, which was enshrined in law in 1953. Later, in 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin proposed merging Holocaust Remembrance Day with Tisha B'Av to create a single day of remembrance for all Israeli heroes, both in Israel and the diaspora, but this proposal faced opposition and was withdrawn.
