A letter from Israel

Every year in Israel, exactly one week before we celebrate Independence Day, we remember all the people who have died in the Holocaust. From sunset the previous day until the first three stars show up in the sky the next day, the entire country is in mourning. Restaurants, theatres and coffee shops are closed. Most of the television channels are paused while the others play Holocaust documentaries or movies such as Schindler's List. Many national institutes - schools, the Knesset (Israeli parlement) and army bases hold a special ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance. These ceremonies are usually organized in such a way that they coincide with the sirens. At ten am, loud sirens throughout the entire country bring everyone to a standstill for two minutes so that we all can remember the dead. Entire highways come to a standstill as drivers pull over, get out of their cars and bow their heads in silence. School children, shop owners, factory workers, office workers, hospital sta