Abstract
Commemorative practices within Israel have received considerable scholarly attention yet remain limited and understudied. These studies focus overwhelmingly on the commemoration of Israel’s founding myths without exploring the impact of subsequent historical events on the myriad of commemorative modes. This thesis analyzes arguably the most central of these modes, Yizkor [memorial] literature, following the watershed October War of 1973 while consistently referencing Yizkor books from the Six-Day War (1967). Given the October War’s far reaching effect on Israeli society, one should naturally assume that Yizkor literature would reflect the social mood on the eve of the war however this is not necessarily the case. An analysis of similarities in the structure and content of memorial books for over 25 combat soldier, challenges popular conceptions of Yizkor literature as a private mode of commemoration while raising important questions about the nature of the commemorative genre as a whole. Against this backdrop, the thesis explores ostensibly rare instances where commemorative narratives go “off script”, expressing pain, disillusionment, and bereavement. Finally, I argue that memorial literature’s ability to remain largely insulated against the post-war discourse lies in its inherent structure.