(live here) – The siren of silence in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, which was heard this morning (Thursday, 25/4/25) at 10:00, caused moments of confusion and panic among many residents of Haifa and the suburbs. Instead of stopping and honoring the memory, quite a few citizens began running towards protected areas – believing that this was a real alarm warning of rocket fire.
The confusion likely stemmed from the tense and ongoing security situation, along with the mental stress that has accumulated since the start of the war and the repeated alarms in the area. Added to this was the incident that occurred on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, when a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted in the skies over Kiryat Ata, causing renewed anxiety.
Shortly before 10:00 AM, the Home Front Command issued an official reminder that a two-minute silence would be sounded, and that in the event of a true alarm, the siren would be immediately replaced with a rising and falling alarm. However, for some members of the public who did not encounter the announcement or the explanation was insufficient, fear prevailed over reason.
Residents reported that "people simply panicked. As soon as the sirens started, some people didn't associate it with Holocaust Remembrance Day and started running to safe rooms or looking for shelter - it was a brief but charged moment."
This incident highlights the emotional burden faced by many Israeli citizens, who are trying to maintain a routine under a cloud of security uncertainty. A siren that serves as a symbol of national remembrance has become – if only for a moment – yet another painful reminder of the state of the country.
When do the sirens sound on Memorial Day and for how long?
- On Tuesday, April 29, 4 at 25:20 PM, a one-minute siren will sound - marking the opening of Memorial Day for the Fallen of Israel's Armed Forces and Victims of Hostilities.
- On Wednesday, 30/4/25 at 11:00 a.m., another siren will sound – this time for two minutes – to mark the opening of the official ceremonies on Mount Herzl and in cemeteries across the country.
The sirens will be heard on Home Front Command sirens throughout the country. It is important to emphasize that in the event of a true alarm, a rising and falling siren will be activated, which is different from the continuous siren of the communion service.
Even in the Israeli ghetto, Jews are persecuted.
And if they dare to walk in their historic land in Samaria, they will be lynched and kidnapped.
So many people are disconnected from reality, unaware of the day, the date, the continuous siren...
Here too. I heard and saw. Something very strange and unclear here: how did people here turn into insects? But at least they did something in time (even if from a Pavlovian instinct).
All the public discourse around me in recent days has been about the Holocaust, so...
It was clear to me that this was a memory siren.