YNET NEWS: Two-minute siren sounds at 10 am in memory of six million Jews who perished in Holocaust; traditional memorial services held across country
A two-minute siren sounded across the country at 10 am Thursday in memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
The siren kicked off memorial services nationwide, including a wreath-laying ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Museum. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz were among the officials to lay wreaths in memory of the Nazis' victims.
Holocaust survivors lit memorial candles during a subsequent service held at the Knesset, under the title "Unto Every Person There is a Name."
During the service, Peres recounted the manner in which the Nazis dragged the Jews at the Polish village where his family resided into a wooden synagogue: "The gates were locked and they were burned alive. According to one testimony, a woman who remained called on the Jews to run. But they were all shot. No one survived."
Peres' told the attendees about the family he had lost in the Holocaust, and recalled the last words his grandfather told him: "Wherever you go, stay Jewish, no matter what misfortune befalls." » | Yair Altman, Shahar Chai | Thursday, April 19, 2012
YNET NEWS: Holocaust memory alive: Op-ed: As opposed to common perception, interest in Holocaust keeps growing worldwide » | Eitan Haber | Wednesday, April 18, 2012
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Holocaust Remembrance Day: Israel Honors 6 Million Victims Of Nazi Holocaust – JERUSALEM -- Israelis flocked to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial Thursday to read the names of loved ones who perished at the hands of the Nazis during World War II, a rite that has become a centerpiece of the country's annual commemoration for the 6 million Jews killed in the genocide. ¶ The ceremony, known as "Every Person Has a Name," tries to go beyond the huge numbers to personalize the stories of individuals, families and communities destroyed during the war. » | Aron Heller | Thursday, April 19, 2012
