Facebook user Daniel Davidzon of Kfar Sava uploaded a photo of Israelis who stood in silence during the Memorial Day siren on Tuesday 8:00 p.m., aboard an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Madrid. "I am uploading this photo with tears in my eyes," wrote Davidzon. "At 8:00 exactly, all of the Israelis stood for a minute's silence without hearing the siren. It was not fun and it was not comfortable but that did not stop us from honoring the fallen who guarded over us."
The photo, which can be shared from this link, has received over 50,000 "likes" and many emotional responses.
The Memorial Day siren unites most Israelis but also highlights some of the divisions that still plague the Jewish state, and social networking brings evidence of both positive and negative events on this day.
A Facebook video uploaded by a user named "News live" claims to show Muslims shouting "Allahu akbar" during the Memorial Day siren Wednesday morning. Click on the image below to watch:
Muslim women in the Quarter also attempted to incite a confrontation with Jews on Independence Day.
Kol Yisrael reported that Arabs in Eilat were arrested after they shouted "Allahu akbar" during the Memorial Day siren. The Arabs are aged about 20 and are employed in the catering sector. They admitted shouting but claimed they did so "in error."
Another Facebook video that has received over 50,000 views shows a verbally abusive exchange between a Jew who stood during the siren and a Jew who sat in a coffee house and did not respect the siren.
Yedioth Aharonoth photographer Shaul Golan admitted on Facebook that for years, his newspaper sent him to Bnei Brak with the express purpose of taking photos of haredim who do not stand in respect as the siren sounds.He calls the assignment "disgusting" and says that thankfully, it was not repeated this year.
A video on Nana10 shows haredi and secular Israelis arguing in Budapest Airport. An airline representative is trying to calm the spirits after he had the siren broadcast through the loudspeaker and at some of the haredi Jews refused to stand still as it sounded, causing secular Jews to erupt in anger. A haredi woman can be seen apologizing and saying her husband meant no disrespect and that he does not understand Hebrew, while a secular man accuses her husband of not being truthful.