An IDF committee was appointed after a public debate erupted over a change in the Yizkor – from a version that opened with “May the Nation of Israel remember ” to one that said “May G-d remember .”
A petition to restore the prayer’s “secular version” has garnered over 66,000 signatures – almost 1 out of 100 Israelis.
The original version was penned by Berl Katznelson, and was modeled on the Jewish Yizkor prayer but was not religious in nature.
The committee recommended for remembrance ceremonies includes religious elements – Kaddish, El Male’ Rachamim s – but also “respects the secular memorial culture.”
