The nationwide siren marking Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day was activated on Tuesday from the alert operations center of the Home Front Command by Miki Zamir, a son of Holocaust survivors, together with his granddaughter, Major Noa Zamir, head of the operations section in the Home Front Command.
Miki's father, Herman Zinger, was born in 1920 and survived the Holocaust, passing through several concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where he lost his mother, brother, and sister.
In the camp, he worked in Dr. Mengele's block and survived the Death March. After that, he returned to Yugoslavia.
Herman married Miriam, whom he had known before the war. In 1946, their son Miki was born, and in 1949, the family immigrated to Israel. Herman was not content with rebuilding his personal life; he served as an officer in the IDF and fought in Israel's wars.
On Tuesday morning, Miki and his granddaughter arrived at the Home Front Command operations center, where, together, they pressed the button to activate the siren across the country.
Miki Zamir, who arrived this morning for the ceremony alongside his granddaughter, could not hide his emotion: “Thanks to my father, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp, my granddaughter and I are standing here today. My father went through multiple camps, lost his family, and survived the death march. Out of pain and loss, he chose to return, rebuild, and start life again. To see my granddaughter standing beside me today, as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, is the true victory of continuity, of life, of family, and of a people. Our responsibility is to continue telling, remembering, and ensuring the past is never forgotten, so future generations will carry the memory forward. We will remember and not forget."
Noa also shared her feelings: “My great-grandfather survived the inferno and immigrated to Israel. He took part in building the country, served as an officer in the IDF, and fought in Israel’s wars. To be here today with my grandfather and to activate the siren at a time when we are still fighting to defend the country fills me with pride and emotion. It is important that we learn and tell the horrors our fellow Jews experienced in the Holocaust and ensure that our people’s legacy is remembered, taught, and preserved for future generations."
