People stand in silence as a siren sounds to commemorate Jewish Holocaust victims in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 18, 2023. (Gideon Markowicz/JINI via Xinhua)
JERUSALEM, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Sirens sounded across Israel on Tuesday morning as the country came to a halt to commemorate the 6 million Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide during World War II.
At 10 am (0700 GMT), as the two-minute sirens echoed across the country, traffic abruptly came to a stop as drivers got out of their vehicles to stand in silence. People on streets, in stores and cafes stopped their activities and stood still in honor of the Jewish victims.
The solemn commemoration began on Monday at nightfall at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum, attended by President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
People visit Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, in Jerusalem, on April 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)
It continued on Tuesday with ceremonies in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, as well as schools and other public venues throughout the country.
At the Yad Vashem ceremony, a group of six survivors lit torches in memory of the 6 million killed in the Holocaust.
Holocaust survivors light torches at the opening ceremony of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)
In his speech, Herzog called on Israelis to set aside their differences and unite ahead of a week of national mourning, following weeks of violence and protests over the divisive government's judicial overhaul plan. Next week, Israel will mark its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers, followed by its 75th Independence Day the next day.
"Let us leave these sacred days, which begin tonight and end on Independence Day, above all dispute," Herzog said. "Let us all come together, as always, in partnership, in grief, in remembrance."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks at the opening ceremony of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)
Following the siren, Netanyahu, Herzog, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana and other officials laid wreaths in Yad Vashem to commemorate the Holocaust victims.
During World War II, victims of the Holocaust were systematically rounded up, transported to concentration and extermination camps, and subjected to forced labor, starvation, and gas chambers.
According to figures released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday, at the end of 2022, the number of Jewish holocaust survivors living in Israel was about 147,199. ■