BICOM

A subdued Israel will today mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a series of events, which began yesterday evening with a state ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

The event, which was broadcast live on Israeli television, began with the poignant lighting of six torches by six Holocaust survivors accompanied by their grandchildren. Addressing the event, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the nascent nuclear deal with Iran demonstrates that the lessons of the Holocaust have not been learned. He said, “The main lesson of the Second World War, for democracies, is that they cannot turn a blind eye to tyrannical regimes.” And yet, “The West is capitulating in the face of Iran’s aggressive actions,” explaining “Iranian leaders are exporting death and destruction. The world is not listening to the calls in Iran urging Death to Israel, Death to America.”

President Reuven Rivlin added a more hopeful note, saying that although “We will not belittle any threats,” that “The horrors of the past and the threats of the present, will not dictate our lives, nor shape the lives of our children. They will not dim our hopes for a future of creation and prosperity.”

At 10am (Israel time), a two-minute siren will be sounded across the country during which Israelis will stand in silence. This will signal the start of another ceremony at Yad Vashem during which wreaths will be laid by numerous dignitaries, from government, the foreign diplomatic corps and beyond. Soon afterwards, the Knesset will begin its “Every Person Has a Name” ceremony, during which the names of those who perished in the Holocaust will be recited by Rivlin, Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and others.

Across the country, schools and some work places will hold their own memorial ceremonies. All television and radio broadcasts are either suspended for the day or entail exclusively Holocaust-related programming.