At 11 o'clock on Wednesday morning, Israel stood in silence for two minutes as sirens wailed on Remembrance Day. This uniquely-Israel style of commemoration was done to pay respect to Israel's 23,320 soldiers and civilian victims of war and terrorism. During the siren, which also sounds on Holocaust Memorial Day and the eve of Remembrance Day, all activity comes to a dramatic stop. All vehicles, whether public or private, stop in the middle of the street while drivers and passengers stand next to their cars; pedestrians on the street stop in their place, arms at their sides; businesses also momentarily stop whatever they are doing.