In July, 2026, an amendment to the Israeli Annual Leave Law was legislated, adding the Memorial Day of a first-degree relative (parent, child, spouse, or sibling) to the list of statutory optional leave days.
Accordingly, an employee is entitled to take this optional leave day out of their annual leave quota on the memorial day and the employer may not refuse the request. This entitlement is conditional upon giving the employer at least 30 days' advance notice, preserving the continuity of annual leave as required by law and deducting the day from the employee's annual leave quota (unless a more favourable arrangement applies at the workplace).