Israeli roads come to a standstill as air siren honors Holocaust Remembrance Day

People all across Israel stopped and stood in silence in the streets and in their homes for several minutes on Thursday as sirens rang throughout the country for Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

In footage of the moment, drivers could be seen standing outside their cars in the streets as sirens sounded. Others could be seen coming to a standstill in the middle of a shopping center.

Israel comes to a standstill with a two-minute siren wailing across the country in remembrance of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. https://t.co/dVUR96NWIT pic.twitter.com/LBICcwpV32

— ABC News (@ABC) May 2, 2019

Footage even captured hundreds of cars slowing to a stop while still on the highway.   

The entire country stops to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Never Again! #YomHaShoah #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/SG4Q4ojcBZ

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) May 2, 2019

The demonstration came as part of the nation’s commemorations for Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which takes place from Wednesday through Thursday.

{mosads}According to The Associated Press, the nationwide commemoration of the memorial day began on Wednesday evening with a ceremony at Israel’s national Holocaust memorial.

There, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin reportedly discussed what he called the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe in recent months.

Rivlin said the surge of hate targeting Jewish people in Europe is “once again rearing its head, fueled by waves of immigration, economic crises and disillusionment with the political establishment,” according to the news agency.

In other comments, Rivlin seemed to target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, cautioning government leaders against developing alliances with European far-right politicians. 

“Every country and society has the legitimate right and even the duty to choose its policy and to protect its identity. Not every right-wing party in Europe that believes in controlling immigration or in protecting its unique character is anti-Semitic or xenophobic,” Rivlin said, according to The Associated Press.

“But political forces where anti-Semitism and racism are part of their language, their legacy or their ideology can never be our allies,” he added.