HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY


Jerusalem-----April 8......The annual state memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance monument, this evening will mark the start of Holocaust and Martyrs' Remembrance Day. President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg will participate in the ceremony.
The Memorial service this year marks the 61th anniversary of start of the Nazi's policy of mass genocide in 1941.


Israel News Agency

As a dark, grey sand storm embraces the country, air raid sirens wail
for 2 minutes as Israeli drivers halt their cars and stand in motionless silence.

 

Air raid sirens will be sounded throughout the country for two minutes tomorrow at 10 A.M., as all cars and work come to a halt and every citizen stands in silent tribute. After the wailing sirens fall still, the names of those murdered by the Nazis will be read out at ceremonies in the Knesset and at Yad Vashem. Memorial ceremonies will also take place at Kibbutz Tel-Yitzhak, at the Ghetto fighters kibbutzim and at Yad Mordechai, where the emphasis will be on the revolt against the Nazis.


Memorial Ceremony at Yad Veshem in Jerusalem Last Night


In the Diaspora, when one thinks of the Holocaust, they may reflect on a museum or movie they experienced. In Israel, it is lived. The Holocaust defines the very fabric of Israel's existence. A traumatic, national day of mourning where children enter school dressed in black, perform memorial services and tear as they gaze at black and white photos of mankind's darkest period. For the adults - all cafes, cinemas, discos, sports facilities, restaurants, bars, kiosks, and stores are closed until tomorrow morning. Only hotels and guest houses are allowed to operate their restaurants and cafes.
The official opening ceremony, to be broadcast live on Israel Television Channels 1 and 2 and on Israel Radio, is to be held this evening at Yad Vashem. The ceremonial torch will be lit at 8 p.m., by six Holocaust survivors now living in Israel.

As we still experience "terror" in our daily lives in Israel, we remember and say: "Never Again!"

 


YAD VESHEM


HOLOCAUST PHOTOS

(WARNING-Highly Graphic Material - Parental Discretion Advised)