Posted 27December2010 Dima Lenderman:
On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day Sirens are sounded for the fallen. Everyone stands in silence or Prays.
The day preceding Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) is observed as a Memorial Day for soldiers who lost their lives in battle or while otherwise defending Israel. Perhaps the most widely recognized commemoration during Yom HaZikaron, as on Yom HaShoah, is the sounding of an air raid siren twice during the course of the day. During the two-minute blasts, all activity – including traffic on the highways – immediately ceases. People stand in respect for the sacrifice of those who died defending Israel. The first siren marks the beginning of Yom HaZikaron and the second is sounded prior to the public recitation of prayers in military cemeteries.