Holocaust Remembrance Day and Heroism Day




It was my first time experiencing Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. I had heard about it before, but nothing compares to being here and witnessing it in person.

At exactly 10:00 a.m., on Thursday, April 24, 2025 a siren rang out across the city. I was in Haifa and suddenly everything stopped. Cars pulled over, people got out, and everyone stood in silence. No one spoke, no one moved. For two full minutes, the entire country stood still.

It was deeply powerful.

Yom HaShoah is a national day of mourning and remembrance for the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. It’s a day of silence, memory, and unity. Ceremonies are held, stories are shared, and candles are lit. But the siren - that haunting sound - is what stays with you. It’s a shared pause in time, a collective moment of respect, grief and reflection.

Standing there in silence, I thought of the victims, the survivors and all the families whose lives were shattered. I thought of the importance of remembering, of making sure history is never forgotten or repeated.

It was a moment I will never forget.

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