Defense Minister Approves Addition of Hy”d on IDF Gravestones

By Yoni Weiss

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved on Tuesday the Public Council for the Commemoration of Soldiers’ recommendation to add the acronym Hy”d, which stands for “Hashem yikom damo” (May Hashem avenge his blood), to military gravestones of fallen soldiers, at their families’ request.

This decision followed an appeal from the family of Captain Yisrael Yudkin, Hy”d, who was killed in Gaza. The family challenged the official wording on IDF tombstones, but the Defense Ministry initially did not accept their claim.

Gallant has now instructed the Defense Ministry to amend the regulations, which will require approval by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, as mandated by law.

The council, consisting of members of bereaved families and representatives from the Yad Labanim organization and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, met Tuesday at the defense minister’s request. By majority vote, the council decided that the phrase “Hashem yikom damo” is not an unusual expression but an accepted wording. The council recommended changing the regulations to permit this inscription on military tombstones of IDF soldiers who fell in battle, at their families’ request. The council also recommended adding the option of writing “zichrono livrachah” (of blessed memory) on military gravestones, again at the families’ request.