Tonight begins Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In Israel, a ceremony is held at Yad Vashem at sundown. Flags are flown at half mast and six torches are lit by survivors commemorating the six million. In the morning, sirens are sounded throughout Israel at 10am for two minutes when the entire country stops to pay silent tribute. Even on highways, drivers stop their cars and wait in silence. Videos on YouTube show highway traffic coming to a stop, including this one from Jerusalem in 2011.

In Poland, Israeli students, at the culmination of a two week educational program, and others from around the world visit Auschwitz for The March of the Living, a silent march from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Days of Remembrance (7-14 April) theme is Never Again: Heed the Warning Signs. The USHMM site will broadcast a ceremony on 11 April. Last year’s ceremony can be seen online as well.

Our 2012 article contains some more information about the holiday.