The Jewish Agency for Israel held a special Yom HaZikaron ceremony honoring the memory of those who fell in war, terror and antisemitic attacks on Wednesday at their historic courtyard in Jerusalem.
This year, the ceremony hosted bereaved Ukrainian families recently rescued from the war in their home country whose loved ones served as lone soldiers in the IDF and fell during their service.
One of the bereaved included Edward German who was rescued from Kharkiv, Ukraine with his wife Helena and their three children. Edward’s brother, Yigal, came to Israel as a lone soldier in 1998 when he was 18. Once drafted in the IDF, he served in the artillery corps and fell in 2001. He was 21.
Also in attendance was German Rozhkov, a bereaved father who was rescued from Kyiv. His son, Senior Officer German Rozhkov, came to Israel in 1995 when he was 18. He served in the Nahal Brigade and fell in battle in 2002. He was 24.
The families lit a torch honoring their sacrifice together with Acting Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive and World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, who noted: “These young people, who immigrated to Israel and fell during their service in the IDF, are a symbol of the bond between the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”
Edward German said: “My brother Yigal always dreamed of immigrating to Israel – to a place he considered his home and the home for all Jews. He immigrated to Israel at the age of 18 with the help of The Jewish Agency. He was a proud Israeli and Jew. And today, on a day of mourning and remembrance, our family is here in Israel, as citizens of the country who, together with everyone, pay homage to the fallen – to the people who gave their lives for the country so that we can all be here.”
The annual Jewish Agency Yom HaZikaron ceremony also commemorates those killed in antisemitic attacks around the world. According to Jewish Agency figures, since the establishment of the state, 200 Jews have been murdered in antisemitic and terror attacks outside of Israel. Their names are etched on a memorial wall that was displayed during the ceremony.
Hagoel requested Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recognize those killed in antisemitic attacks around the world on Israel’s memorial day as victims of terror. “The names of Jews killed in antisemitic attacks around the world are engraved on our memorial wall. While they were not killed on Israeli soil, what they have in common is that they were murdered because they were Jews,” Hagoel said. “Terrorism does not distinguish between blood nor the color of a passport. Terrorist attacks against Jewish targets take the lives of Jews in Israel, as well as throughout the globe. It’s the same enemy, the same war, the same Jew. We have a duty to recognize those killed in antisemitic attacks around the world as victims of terror.”
The ceremony was coordinated by The Jewish Agency along with the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund, Keren Hayesod, Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Federations of Canada. In addition to Hagoel, in attendance was Keren Hayesod Chairman Sam Grundwerg, Senior VP of Global Operations & Director General of JFNA Israel Rebecca Caspi, Director General of Jewish Federations of Canada in Israel Arie Levy, Deputy Chairpman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency Yaron Shavit, and Chairman of The Jewish Agency’s Workers Organization Hannan Mor.
