National Memorial Ceremony for October 7 Massacre Held in Tel Aviv

A national memorial ceremony for the October 7 massacre, "Yad La'Nefesh," will be held Wednesday evening at 9:15 PM in Tel Aviv's Ganei Yehoshua Park. Over 50,000 Israelis are expected to attend the event, organized by the "Qomu" movement and families of those affected by the October 7th attacks. This marks the third year the ceremony has been held, and for the first time, it will be an open park format without bleachers to accommodate the large expected attendance.

The ceremony will be hosted by Eli Sharafi, a survivor of captivity, and actress Shani Cohen. Hundreds of bereaved families, families of hostages, and survivors of the massacre and captivity will participate. Prominent Israeli artists including Shlomo Artzi, Gali Atari, Ivri Lider, Miri Mesika, Ran Danker, Eden Golan, Osher Cohen, Yuval Dayan, Harel Skaat, and Amir Dadon are scheduled to perform.

Yonatan Shamriz, a co-founder of the "Qomu" movement and brother of Alon Shamriz, who was killed on October 7th, urged the public to attend in person. "I know the ceremony will be broadcast on all channels, but I still call on everyone: Come to the park, come hug us. The energy here during the ceremony is something that cannot be explained in words," Shamriz stated. He added, "October 7th should be a national day of remembrance; we must be together and put aside all disputes."

Sharafi, who lost his wife Lian and daughters Noya and Yahil in the attack, echoed the call for official recognition. "For us, October 7th is an official day of remembrance for the massacre, and therefore it must be declared as such," he said. Park gates will open at 6:30 PM, with entry restricted to ticket holders. Admission will close at 9:00 PM, and attendees are advised to use public transportation due to anticipated traffic congestion in the area.