A siren will sound on Tuesday morning, not as an alert to yet another missile attack, but in commemoration of the six million Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. After weeks of sirens, at 10 a.m., a long siren will sound, and the country will grind to a halt. This will not be a rush for bomb shelters, but a silent contemplation of the fate of those taken in the wake of another war, on another continent.
The day of commemoration began on Monday night with a prerecorded official state Remembrance Day ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and memorial site. Despite a two-week ceasefire being brokered on Wednesday, the security situation led to a deviation from the usual live event that is attended by Israel’s leaders and officials.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog will provide remarks for the solemn occasion, and Holocaust survivors will be honored with the opportunity to light six memorial torches. Saadia Bahat, Michael Sidko, Miriam Bar Lev, Moshe Harari, Ilana Falach, and Avigdor Neumann are lighting the torches; Haviva Burst will speak on behalf of other survivors; and Menachem Neeman will recite a prayer for the victims of the Nazi-orchestrated genocide.
After the ceremony, at 11:05 p.m., a special musical tribute honoring survivors and victims is scheduled to air on KAN 11.
Following the Tuesday nationwide siren, an official wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem will be attended by Netanyahu, Herzog, and other state officials. While the ceremony will be closed to the public, another event open to all will be held at 11:30 a.m.
In the afternoon, Yad Vashem is offering free guided tours of its newest exhibits, but registration must be completed in advance on the museum’s website.
Netanyahu and his wife met with the torchbearers earlier on Monday, according to the government press office, noting that there had been a dynamic shift from the Holocaust in which Nazis hunted Jews, to modern times in which Israel was “hunting the oppressors.”
“We have prevented them [the Islamic Regime] from realizing their plan of destruction with a force that has brought the State of Israel to the peak of its power since its establishment,” said Netanyahu. “Who would have believed 80 years ago that our daring pilots, men and women, would be over the skies of Iran, over the skies of Tehran, and not just alone, but alongside the world’s greatest superpower, flying wing-to-wing to strike the oppressor? This is a massive shift in our situation, a massive change from what you experienced firsthand. It means that the people of Israel live, strong and powerful. There will not be another Holocaust.”
Israelis and Jews around the world join in the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day
In London, a candlelighting ceremony is set to be held outside the British Parliament on Monday night, with readings by Holocaust survivors and community leaders, and performances by adult and school choirs. The same night, the Toronto Holocaust Museum is set to host and honor survivors with a ceremony emphasizing Holocaust education and Jewish families.
In Poland, 50 Holocaust survivors will lead around 7,000 participants in the 2026 International March of the Living on Tuesday, walking along the tracks from Auschwitz to Birkenau. According to a statement from organizers, the march is a symbol of resilience over death, but comes at a time when the number of living survivors is rapidly dwindling.
On Tuesday, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is livestreaming in Washington, DC, to commemorate the millions of Jewish and other victims of Nazi persecution. The museum is set to honor US military forces for their defeat of Nazi Germany, with the 3rd US Infantry Regiment presenting the flags of divisions that participated in the liberation. The Florida Holocaust Museum will pay tribute to the victims on the same day, with readings of the names of the deceased victims of the Nazi-orchestrated genocide.
In Jerusalem, the Jewish National Fund and B’nai Brith World Center Jerusalem are scheduled to hold a ceremony honoring the heroism of Jews who risked their lives to save others during the Holocaust. The Jewish Rescuers Citation will be conferred posthumously on Shoshana Jansje Litten Serlui of the Netherlands, Ellen Elli Waterman of the Netherlands, Simha Kazik Rotem of Poland, and Paul Giniewski of Austria.
Throughout Israel on Tuesday, Zikaron Basalon will host survivors in small gatherings at homes, giving them the opportunity to share their experiences with the next generation of Israelis.