German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder accidentally extinguished Israel’s eternal flame for the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. During a visit to Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial on Tuesday, Schroeder turned a handle that was supposed to make the flame rise. When it went out instead, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak tried to help, but to no avail. Finally, a technician used a cigarette lighter to reignite the flame.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
