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April is a bittersweet month in Israel’s calendar. It is the month when the national holidays of Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut are marked in quick succession. It is a time of remembrance and celebration, but also a time that can be sensitive and triggering for members of Israel’s security forces.
Many communities made the decision this year not to have the traditional fireworks to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, which begins on the night of April 30, out of sensitivity to soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Defense Ministry Deputy Director-General Limor Luria, who heads the ministry’s Rehabilitation Department, said that soldiers struggling with PTSD experience holidays and memorial days as especially straining, even more so during wartime. The Rehabilitation Department estimated that it would be treating approximately 100,000 wounded personnel by 2030, half of whom are expected to have suffered from PTSD.