JNS
Since the beginning of the war, 37 fallen fighters—including 18 lone soldiers—had families residing overseas.
Ahead of Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism), Israel's Ministry of Defense intensified its ongoing support for the nearly 3,000 bereaved family members living around the globe.
Both before and after the war that began with Hamas's mass murder attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s care for bereaved families extended far beyond its borders.
According to the ministry, as of April 28, 2025, approximately 3,000 bereaved family members lived abroad. Since the beginning of the conflict, 37 additional fallen soldiers had families residing overseas, each receiving personal, tailored support.
The ministry stated that "the number of fallen soldiers from Israel's wars from 1860 until today stands at 25,420," adding that the figure includes IDF and Israeli Police casualties.
It added that since Memorial Day last year, 319 fallen were added to the count, along with another 61 disabled veterans who died as a result of their disabilities and were recognized during the year as Israel’s fallen.
The Swords of Iron War led to 5,944 recently bereaved family members since October 7, 2023, and the past year saw 1,647 newly bereaved, including 487 bereaved parents, 85 widows, 163 orphans, and 912 bereaved siblings. The total number of bereaved families is 58,617.
Efrat Shefa Dor, director of the Tiberias District and head of the Overseas Families Division at the Department of Families, Commemoration and Heritage in the Israel Ministry of Defense, told JNS about the Ministry’s far-reaching commitment.
The Tiberias District Families Division is one of six nationwide districts, while the Foreign Families Branch deals with all bereaved families living abroad.
"Today, there are close to three thousand bereaved family members living all over the world," said Shefa Dor.
Out of the 37 fallen over the past year whose families or spouses live abroad, 18 of them were lone soldiers, she added.
"One of the unique aspects of the Department of Families, Commemoration and Heritage at the Ministry of Defense is the issue of initiative, and the spirit of the department's vision: a seeing eye, a listening ear, and an understanding heart."
"We are in touch with the families no matter where they are, whether in Tiberias, Tel Aviv or Australia," she stated.
The support includes support services, commemoration ceremonies, and connection to communities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Two-thirds of the bereaved families living abroad are in the United States and the rest in Europe, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.
On Memorial Day as well as on the personal commemoration days of each fallen, the ministry enables bereaved family members who wish to come to Israel to visit their loved ones' graves and participate in ceremonies to make the journey, she said.
"For those unable to travel, we initiate contact with every bereaved family and stay involved in local events organized by embassies and consulates worldwide," she said.
The ministry establishes contact with each bereaved family abroad and verifies its needs.
Since Oct. 7, Shefa Dor emphasized, the ministry recognized the need to step up its outreach for families living overseas via community and group initiatives, crucial both in Israel and abroad, and to strengthen bonds between bereaved families everywhere.
Among these initiatives are Zoom-based support groups. Shefa Dor said.
"We can say that since Oct. 7, two support groups of English-speaking bereaved parents have already been held via Zoom, and this is really how we connect between all the families," she said. "Not only in the United States, also in the Netherlands, where there was also a Hebrew-speaking family from Israel, there was a connection, there were two groups of 12 bereaved parents in each group."
One especially moving project emerged from a Zoom group, made up of bereaved siblings from the Swords of Iron War, which saw its artwork placed on exhibition in museums in Israel and Japan in the coming months.
Beyond therapy, cultural initiatives also played a key role in strengthening identity and memory. "We have beautiful and emotional collaborations with the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization," Shefa Dor shared.
One project is called "Border-Crossing Connections," enabling bereaved family members to share their stories with Jewish schools around the world. In other initiatives, bereaved family members receive home visits from official organization representatives.
She said the Memorial Day event this year would feature bereaved widow Raaya Balhasan, widow of Maj. Eitan Balhasan, former commander of the Paratroopers’ Reconnaissance Unit, who was killed in action while fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon on Feb. 23, 1999, and Jacqueline Elharar, the grandmother of Sgt. Amitay Alon, who was killed by a Hezbollah drone strike on his military base near Binyamina on Oct. 13, 2024.
"We all always, throughout the year and especially on these days, are there to embrace the bereaved families, with much love, appreciation, sensitivity, and a sense of statehood," said Shefa Dor.
