Draft:Yad Labanim

Yad Labanim is an Israeli voluntary organization to commemorate the fallen of Israel's conflicts and care for the bereaved families. The organization was established in 1948 and registered as an association in 1982.

History
The organization was founded as a result of a letter sent to the newspapers in December 1948, at the end of the War of Independence, by Dr. Miriam Shapira, a mother who lost her son in the war. In the letter, sent with the support of other mothers and bearing the name "Yad Labanim", she called on the bereaved mothers to unite in founding a foundation for the establishment of an institution as a memorial to the sons who were killed and an orphanage for war orphans. Its purpose was also to give encouragement and support to the bereaved mothers.

The letter was met with great positive response and as a result a special gathering of bereaved families. After the assemblies the movement developed into an institution with the support of the Ministry of Defense and the local councils.

The organization includes bereaved parents, brothers and sisters, Jews, Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and Circassians. In the past it also included widows and orphans of the IDF, but in 1991 they established a separate organization for themselves called the "Organization of Widows and Orphans of the IDF", after they claimed that "Yad Labanim" did not give adequate representation to their plights.

In 1957 Beit Yad Labanim in Petach Tikva (with a mention of its creator Baruch Oren) won the Israel Prize for its special contribution to society and the country in commemorative enterprises.

In 2006, the bereaved families were asked to assist in the financing of part of the organization's activities by paying regular membership fees, a process that upset a number of the bereaved families.

Activities
Yad Labanim's head office is located in Tel Aviv, and the organization operates 70 centers and branches in most Israeli cities. Various educational and cultural activities are held at the centers to commemorate the fallen, including outreach activities among school students. In every "Yad Labanim" center there is a memorial room with a commemorative plaque, on which are engraved the names of the fallen of that settlement and pages telling their life story. In general, the "Yad Labanim" centers also hold general cultural activities, which are not related to the IDF fallen. Thus, for example, in Ramat Hasharon, the "Yad Labanim" house houses the municipal library, and in Herzliya the city museum is housed in the "Yad Labanim" house.

Yad-Levanim representatives represent bereaved families in front of the Ministry of Defense and the welfare authorities, serve as representatives in the Public Council for the Commemoration of the Soldier, and are engaged in reviewing regulations and procedures for the sake of the families. The organization also carries out cultural and welfare activities among the bereaved families, including trips, study days and vacations. As the Day of Remembrance approaches, a publication called "Sheikh Shkoholim" is published on its behalf, which is distributed to the families of the bereaved.

The organization is involved in the planning and construction of the National Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl.