Government okays adding Jews killed in terror, antisemitic attacks outside Israel to Memorial Day commemorations

The government has adopted a plan for commemorating Diaspora Jews who were killed in antisemitic attacks and terror attacks around the world, says the World Zionist Organization, which has worked on promoting the idea.

The plan, designed by the Ruderman Family Foundation, is based on a list of recommendations drawn up by a panel of experts in 2023 on how to commemorate Jews who “lost their lives due to their Jewishness in hostile acts on an antisemitic background in the Diaspora,” as stated in the list.

The recommendations include building a state monument to the victims of such attacks and compiling a database with all the victims’ names and information about them and the circumstances of their death.

References to the slaying of Diaspora Jews in antisemitic attacks will be added to Israel’s Memorial Day, which will also function as the memorial day for that group of victims. The office of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli is to head the implementation of the changes.

“This is a courageous government decision that strengthens the bond of shared destiny between Israel and the Jewish world, which has become more evident than ever since October 7,” says Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, in a statement.