The annual Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) will begin Monday night under the theme of ‘Children in the Holocaust.” All places of entertainment will be closed as the country marks special memorial services for the 6 million Jews slaughtered by the Nazi regime.
During the annual "Every Person Has a Name" ceremony, the names of children murdered in the Holocaust will be read aloud.
Approximately one and a half million of the victims were children. Some of those who survived found refuge in the homes of non-Jews who refused to ignore the Nazi death machine, but many were sheltered in Christian monasteries, convents and schools, where priests often converted them. Many children, separated form their parents, forgot their real names and Jewish identity.
Others were forced to roam through forests and villages, relying entirely on their own ingenuity and resourcefulness and often forced to live under assumed identities, facing constant fear and danger. Some were so young when separated from their parents that they forgot their real names and Jewish identity.
The end of the war and the liberation of the survivors allowed some of them to return to their real selves while others were lost souls forever. Many survivors, now in their 70s, 80s and 90s, still suffer trauma and are more susceptible to illnesses than others.
The central ceremonies of Holocaust Remembrance Day will be held at Yad VaShem in Jerusalem in the presence of President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The proceedings will be broadcast on Israel Television. A ceremony for youth movements with the participation of hundreds of youth will take place in the Valley of Communities at Yad VaShem.
A siren will sound for two minutes at 10 a.m., when people are asked to stop work, driving or other activities and to stand in silence.