It was disclosed today for the first time that some 2000 Israeli soldiers have been wounded on both fronts during the first eight days of the war. The government announced yesterday that 656 Israeli soldiers had died in that period and the grim task of informing the next of kin continued today.
Bereaved families were provided with booklets by Chief Army Chaplain Gen. Mordechai Firon explaining regulations for burial and mourning. Soldiers killed in action are being buried temporarily in special cemeteries consecrated for the purpose. According to Jewish custom, families will have the option of re-burial after the 12-month mourning period. Next of kin are visited by a special delegation of the army chaplaincy and representatives of the local town councils and of any organizations to which the families belong. A medical orderly accompanies each delegation.
According to Jewish custom, families informed of a death during the current Succoth holiday period may not observe shiva until after the holiday. According to the military chaplaincy, no shiva should be observed for soldiers reported missing in action unless a specific ruling has been obtained from the Chief Rabbinate.
The Israeli public heard the first casualty report yesterday stoicly. There were many red eyes and grim faces on the streets today but activities were conducted as usual. Almost every family that was spared the news of a loved one fallen in battle, knew someone who had received that tragic notification. During the day Premier Golda Meir visited wounded soldiers at the Sheba Medical Center In Tel Hashomer Hospital. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan called on the public never to forget the fallen soldiers.
An army spokesman disclosed today that one girl soldier, injured in an air attack on an Israeli installation in the Sinai, died of her wounds. The announcement was made to scotch rumors that girl soldiers were missing in action or in enemy hands. The commander of the Women’s Army Corps, Col. Ruth Muskal, denied such reports today. She said girl soldiers were performing the same functions they performed in peace-time.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
