Israel marks Holocaust remembrance day
JERUSALEM — Israel is marking its annual Holocaust remembrance day in memory of the 6 million Jews systematically killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.
It is one of the most melancholy days on Israel’s calendar.
Cafes and other places of entertainment shut down while TV and radio stations broadcast documentaries about the Holocaust from Sunday evening until commemorations end at sundown the next day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials are attending the main ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
On Monday morning, Israel mostly comes to a two-minute standstill to remember the dead when sirens wail prompting people to stop in their tracks and motorists to pull over and stand still outside their vehicles with their heads bowed in silence.
