Tonight, Monday evening, Israel will embark on a 48-hour experience of 24 hours of remembrance of those who have given their lives in defense of this country follow immediately by 24 hours of joy and celebration marking 78 years of the successful emergence of an independent Jewish state for the first time in over two millennia.

Tonight, when the sirens sound in Israel at 8 PM to mark the beginning of Remembrance Day, we will note with sadness the deaths of 1,152 security personnel killed, including 940 IDF soldiers as well as police officers and local security officers killed during the Hamas-led attacks, the subsequent ground offensive in Gaza, and fighting on other fronts.

As a result of these battle casualties, there are a combined total of over 10,000 spouses, parents, children and close family members who have stood graveside and mourned loved ones these past two and a half years.  In addition, 6,424 soldiers have been wounded since the war began, 958 of them seriously, according to figures published by Israel’s Ministry of Defense.

The question on some people’s minds is, was it worth it? A look at the demographics of Israel as we approach Independence Day will show that, painful as these losses and injuries most certainly are, this was the high........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)