BICOM

A subdued Israel will today mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a series of events, which began yesterday evening with a state ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Addressing the event, which was broadcast live on Israeli television, President Shimon Peres warned, “We must not ignore the rise of extreme right-wing parties with neo-Nazi tendencies” in Europe. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the world to learn the lessons of the 1930s and recognise the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, commenting, “Today we are again standing before clear facts and real dangers.”

At 10am (Israel time), a two-minute siren will be sounded across the country during which Israelis will stand in silence. This will signal the start of another ceremony at Yad Vashem during which wreaths will be laid by numerous dignitaries, from the government, the foreign diplomatic corps and beyond. Soon afterwards, the Knesset will begin its “Every Person Has a Name” ceremony, during which the names of those who perished in the Holocaust will be recited by Peres, Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and others. Edelstein commented in advance, “Remembering the Holocaust is an important national goal, especially as the years go by.”

Across the country, schools and some work places will hold their own memorial ceremonies. All television and radio broadcasts are either suspended for the day or entail exclusively Holocaust-related programming.

Meanwhile, Israel’s cabinet yesterday approved an increase in benefits to the country’s dwindling Holocaust survivor community, with a growing number living in poverty. The new package, initiated by Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Welfare Minister Meir Cohen, will streamline the benefits system for survivors and add a further £173million in aid. Cohen said that the package, expected to be approved by the Knesset, “is a step that will bring some justice” for survivors and that it will allow them “to live out their lives in the land of Israel in a respectable way.”