Yom Ha-Shoah
Description
During Yom HaShoah, Israel honors the memory of Holocaust victims. The full name of this date is Yom HaShoah VeHagevurah, meaning “Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and Heroism.” Yom HaShoah is observed on the 27th of Nisan. The date was chosen by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on April 12, 1951. Although Yom HaShoah was established as a commemorative date in Israel, it is observed by Jewish communities worldwide.
Since the 1960s, a tradition has emerged to halt all movement in the country for two minutes with the sound of a siren. The siren sounds at sunset, marking the start of Yom HaShoah, and again at 11 a.m. the following day. All radio and television programs on this day are related to the fate of Jews during World War II.
