Israel marks Yom HaShoah Amidst War with Iran

Amidst war with Iran, Israel is marking the somber occasion of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day. 

Yom HaShoah falls on a different date every year in accordance with the Jewish calendar around mid to late April, around the time when Allied Forces entered many of the concentration camps and liberated them, or early May. While mainly commemorated in Israel, it is also acknowledged in the United States and in Jewish communities across the diaspora. 

This year, commemorations are taking place under heightened security conditions, with the official state ceremony being pre-recorded. In Jerusalem, the walls of the Old City are illuminated with Holocaust remembrance symbols and the words “Remember” and “Never forget.”

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday Israel time (3:00 AM EST), a two minute siren will sound, during which Israelis stop whatever they are doing, wherever they are, and the nation comes to a brief silence. 

President Herzog’s speech highlighted the importance of remembering the Holocaust and shared the story of Holocaust Survivor Magda Baratz, whose great grandson, Asaf, fell in combat in Gaza last year. Only two weeks after Asaf was killed, Magda herself passed away from heartbreak. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained that “There will not be a second Holocaust” and defended his actions amid the ongoing military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, and surprisingly, took aim at Europe, claiming it “has forgotten so much since the Holocaust” and that “it cannot distinguish between good and evil, and that it is losing its identity, values, and commitment to protecting civilization from barbarism.” 

He maintained the message that “Israel does not forget this eternal commitment,” and that “together with the US and other nations, nations with whom we are forging alliances that will yet be spoken of, we are defending ourselves. In fact, we are defending the entire world.” 

Netanyahu also shared the story of 101-year-old Holocaust survivor Jake Waksal, who he met during his visit to South Florida at the end of 2025. 

Yom HaShoah runs from the evening on Monday, April 13, 2026 to the evening on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Next year, Yom HaShoah will run from the evening of Monday, May 3, 2027 to the evening of Tuesday, May 4, 2027.

Today, there are 196,000 remaining Holocaust survivors globally, with most of them living in Israel, followed by the United States. The youngest survivors are only 80 years old, and were born to survivors who kept their pregnancies hidden. Almost all survivors are in their 80s and 90s, with some being over 100.