Across Israel, police officers turned out Tuesday morning to honor Holocaust survivors unable to attend annual memorials and services due to the coronavirus regulations.
Ceremonies were held outside 180 retirement homes and geriatric care facilities around the country with police officers saluting and honoring survivors.
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Police officers outside the Mishan Retirement Home in Be'er Sheva on Holocaust Remembrance Day
(Photo: Israel Police)
As the sirens blared in honor of the victims of the Nazi genocide, members of the Be'er Sheva police department stood to attention outside the Mishan retirement home, where 14 people have already died after contracting COVID-19. Fifty of the residents of the facility are Holocaust survivors.
"You are the true heroes of the Jewish people and Israeli society in particular," said Be'er Sheva police chief Effi Sheeman, at the ceremony held outside the building and observed by the residents from their balconies.
"We, the members of the police force, commit not to forgive or forget, not in quiet times and not in times of emergency," Sheeman said.
"This is the least we can do for you. We cherish your contribution to the people and the country during these challenging times with the coronavirus targeting the health and taking lives of many."
MIshan resident Hadassah Abramowitz was born in Romania in 1933 and immigrated to Israel in 1948. She was the first woman to enlist in Be'er Sheva police force, where she remained for 30 years.
The police chief presented Abramowitz with a rose, telling her, "you are my hero."
Seeing the young police officers made Hadassah happy, she said.
"I am cooped up inside these days and have lost touch with the world outside. But I wish them well and the strength to continue to do what they're doing," she said.
"We have already had our share of suffering, but these young people should not have to suffer." Hadassah added.
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People stand in silence in Tel Aviv during the siren to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust
(Photo: Reuters)
In Tel Aviv, police officers stood outside the Palace retirement home and saluted its residents as they stood on their balconies observing the moment of silence.
"We salute you, dear citizens and survivors in the name of the police department," said one young officer speaking through a squad car's PA system, "We cherish your contribution to the country and wish you all good health. We will stand with you in memory of the victims of the Holocaust."
The officer's words were met with applause from the facility's residents.
Near Kibbutz Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, senior citizens and survivors were also honored by local police and security forces.
Holocaust survivor Shraga Glass, who was among the founders of the kibbutz, represented his generation in a modest ceremony held under coronavirus restrictions.
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Holocaust survivor Shraga Glass is honored by local police on Holocaust Remembrance Day
(Photo: Megiddo Regional Council)
Shraga, who joined the partisans fighting the Nazis, recounted his experiences during the war to the officers who had gathered to remember with him those who had perished.
Jordan Valley police stood with a Holocaust survivor in the community of Poriya Illit, near Tiberias. The officers have been caring for the elderly residents of the area during the coronavirus crisis, delivering food and vital supplies.
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Jordan Valley Police salute a Holocaust survivor in the community of Poriya Illit
(Photo: Jordan Valley Regional Council)
In Haifa, seniors in care facilities and retirement homes run by the Yad Ezer Lehaver non-profit that cares for Holocaust survivors, watched from their balconies as the ceremonies were projected onto screens set up in the streets.
Troops from the local naval base stood outside to honor the memory of victims as they watched.
In the West Bank settlements of Efrat, Beitar Elit and Adura, police officers also stood with the elderly.
One officer said from the Judea District police said: "I am moved to stand with these heroes who built our country as a representative of the police and I thank them."
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Medical teams honor victims of the Holocaust at Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava
(Photo: Meir Hospital)
Holocaust survivor Meir Bleibis, 93, was honored by police in Rishon Lezion , where he is well known for his years of talking to students about the importance of preserving the memory of Holocaust.
Officers and municipality workers stood outside his house as the siren blared, saluting him in the name of the city and its residents.
Meir said he was moved by the gesture and thanked the officers for bestowing such an honor on him.
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Hadera residents stand in silence to remember victims of the Holocaust
(Photo: Shamir Elbaz)
In Hadera, survivors were honored by school children as well as police, thanks to an initiative by Orly Sivan, who heads an NGO that works to ensure Holocaust survivors' rights.
"These times are hard for everyone but especially those who had survived the Holocaust and are now secluded from their families," said Sivan.
As sirens was about to go off, dozens of young children and their parents emerged onto their balconies in the Ein Yam neighborhood. When the siren was over, children broke out into a rendition of Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem.
In a ceremony held outside city hall that adhered to Health Ministry guidelines, Hadera Mayor Ziv Gendelman said that in normal times he would be spending this solemn moment with school children.
"Still", he said, "I am glad we were able to have a ceremony."
And in Jerusalem, volunteers and IDF soldiers went to the homes of 6,000 survivors, bringing them flowers and plants courtesy of the municipality.
"Standing with survivors during the two-minute siren was a powerful experience for us and our children," said one volunteer.
"This is especially true when we are separated from those in our own families who survived the Holocaust. Today we have adopted new grandparents."