Lights Are Dimmed in Israel Towns As Nation Marks Warsaw Ghetto Anniversary

Lights were dimmed tonight in cities, towns and settlements all over Israel as the nation observed a solemn memorial for six million Jews destroyed in the Nazi holocaust during World War II and countless others killed fighting the Nazis in armies and resistance movements. In Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, streets were quiet and almost deserted as thousands attended memorial meetings, prayed in synagogues or kindled memorial lights in their own homes. Movie houses and cafes closed for the evening and turned out their neon signs. Restaurants and most other shops also closed early and traffic was light. The scene was duplicated in Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel’s two other large cities.

Two memorial meetings were held in Tel Aviv, one in Yiddish and one in Hebrew. A meeting will be held at Kibbutz Lohanel Hagetaot tomorrow, to be attended by Prime Minister Eshkol. Flags all over Israel were flown at half-mast today and will remain at half-mast tomorrow. A “cigarette vendors” corner was set up in the municipal library in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon yesterday in memory of Jewish youngsters who tried to survive the Nazi terror in Poland by posing as “Aryans.” Most of them sold cigarettes on Warsaw street corners to keep alive. Fifteen survivors attended the dedication ceremonies in Holon yesterday.