Israel Marks Holocaust, Warns World 'Never Forget'
Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum
- Jerusalem, Israel
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israelis remembered the Holocaust on Monday and highlighted the Jewish resistance on the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Sirens wailed as Israel stood still in memory of millions of Jews who were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust.
For two minutes, traffic stopped and Israelis paused to reflect on the World War II horrors that came upon the Jewish people -- on those who survived and those who didn't.
Visiting Secretary of State John Kerry joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and laid a wreath in memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day officially began with a state ceremony at Yad VaShem, Israel's Holocaust Museum.
Survivors and their relatives lit six torches -- each representing 1 million Jews who perished in the Nazi reign of terror.
This year marked the 70th anniversary of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the first large-scale rebellion against the Nazis in Europe. It became a symbol of the struggle against impossible odds.
Israeli President Shimon Peres said the threat of the Holocaust against one nation is a threat against all nations.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu made reference to the threat from Iran.
"The murderous hatred against the Jews that has accompanied the history of our people has not disappeared," the prime minister warned.
With less than 200,000 Holocaust survivors left in Israel, there is concern that the memory and impact of the Holocaust could fade.
"I think we are too apart. I think there is not enough remembering, not enough time has passed for us to be so forgetful about what the Jewish people have been through," one Jerusalemite told CBN News.
"It's very important for us and unfortunately we were talking about the fact that in about 50-60 years it's liable to be nothing but another blip on history," said an American Jewish man who has children and grandchildren living in Israel.
"I do think it's just important that we remember what happened. Our Bible tells us never to forget….We have to depend on ourselves and God," his wife said.
