looking through the various websites today, one can see that the national pasttime is in full gear, and everyone is participating.

The secular media is looking for religious and Haredi people who did not treat the day (Yom HaShoa) with proper respect, either via barbecuing in the park somewhere or not standing for the siren... and the religious press is looking for secular people who did not treat the day with proper respect, via playing basketball in the park or not standing for the siren or whatever.

It is good to see the annual national custom of Yom HaShoah has not been abandoned.

Like the story of the shul that every year the membership would argue whether the custom of the shul is to sit or stand when the Ten Commandments were read from the Torah. Eventually an observer said let's find the oldest guy who was a founder of the shul and ask him what the minhag is.

They locate Yankel in a nursing home somewhere and pay him a visit. The gabbai asks old Yankel if he remembers the original custom.

Yankel asks what happened in shul last week. The gabbai describes the scene - they stood up and the others screamed at them, the others remained seated and the standers screamed at them..

Yankel thought for a moment and said - that is the minhag! We fight about it every year.