Valley of Tears
About Valley of Tears
Valley of Tears is home to one of the bloodiest battles during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israeli tank forces successfully held against a massive Syrian assault for continuous 4 days from 6 to 9 October. Today, it hosts a Jewish National Fund memorial site for fallen members of the armoured corps from the 77th Brigade. The memorial is called Oz 77 from the Hebrew word for “strength”.
Valley of Tears Battle
On 6th October 193, massive Syrian and Egyptian forces launched a surprise attack, forcing Israel to fight a two-front war. It was the holiest day of the Jewish year, the Day of Atonement, and Jews all over the country had been fasting and praying since dawn. The Syrians attacked the Golan with 1,500 tanks and Israel countered with only 160 tanks which were reduced to seven under very heavy enemy fire. However, the Israelis managed to take down 600 Syrian tanks in the process. The Syrians eventually retreated but not without inflicting heavy casualties on Israel.
Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day)
This day remembers the fallen soldiers of the wars of Israel and victims of actions of terrorism. The sound of a siren is heard throughout the country twice, during which the entire nation observes a two-minutes ‘standstill’ of all traffic and daily activities.
Interesting Facts
- A dramatic 20-minute video presentation of the battle (OZ 77 movie) is available at Kibbutz El-Rom.
- In 2020, Israeli TV Channel 1 released “Valley of Tears”, a 10-part series following events and battles of the Yom Kippur War. Development of the series lasted 10 years and its filming took place over 52 days.
- In Israel, Independence Day begins the moment that the Remembrance Day (Memorial Day) ends. Israelis owe the independence and the very existence of the Jewish state to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.
