Pedestrians and traffic in downtown Jerusalem, and across Israel, stood still Monday morning (April 24) as a two minute siren wailed to commemorate victims of the Holocaust.

A day earlier, survivor Zwi Nigal shared his experiences during World War Two with a few dozen people who gathered in an apartment in central Israel on Sunday (April 23), the eve of the country’s annual Remembrance Day for the six million Jews killed by the Nazis.

Sitting on bean bags and a sofa, they listened to Nigal’s account as part of a nationwide project called “Memories in the Living Room”.

Similar remembrance gatherings were held in 13,000 other homes in Israel, where survivors shared their stories. Ayelet Goldin Vaknin, who hosted the gathering with Nigal in her living room, said such events could be the last chance “to meet in person with people who have been there and who have experienced personally the Holocaust”.