Youtube

May 9th marks Victory day around the world, commemorating the millions of people killed in the Soviet Union during World War 2 while fighting for their independence from the Nazis. There are about 20,000 war veterans from the Soviet Union currently living in Israel, and this day has become a national holiday here for several years now.

Events are taking place in order to pay tribute to these veterans, in the Knesset, the Yad Vashem memorial Museum, and in cities across Israel. Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in the allied armies during World War 2, with half a million of them in the Red Army alone. About 200,000 of these Jews perished, and those who survived lived to tell their story.

Sivan Raviv, JN1, Israel.