Israel to Commemorate Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day with Theme of ‘Anguish of Liberation and Rebirth’

By: Fern Sidman

Israel will solemnly mark Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day—known in Hebrew as Yom HaShoah—from the evening of Wednesday, April 23, through Thursday, April 24, honoring the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and the countless acts of bravery, resistance, and resilience by those who endured the horrors of Nazi persecution. As reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), this year’s commemorative theme is “Out of the Depths: The Anguish of Liberation and Rebirth,” a powerful tribute to the emotional and historical complexity experienced by survivors in the wake of the Shoah.

The official state opening ceremony will take place at 8:00 p.m. on April 23 at Yad Vashem’s Warsaw Ghetto Square, located on Jerusalem’s Mount of Remembrance. The event will be attended by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other dignitaries, and will be broadcast live with simultaneous translation into six languages—Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian—to reach a global audience.

According to the JNS report, the ceremony will be both reflective and reverent, with elements that highlight the personal stories of survivors as well as the collective grief and moral responsibility carried by the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver keynote addresses, underscoring the enduring legacy of the Holocaust and the importance of memory in the face of rising global antisemitism.

The ceremony will open with the kindling of the Memorial Torch by Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan, a moment of solemn reflection that honors the martyrs and heroes of the Holocaust. JNS reported that musical interludes will be performed by Israeli singers Aya Korem and Benaia Barabi, providing an emotional and cultural dimension to the ceremony, while acclaimed actor Yedidia Vital will deliver narrative pieces recounting survivor testimonies and the pain and perseverance of liberation.

The entire event will be emceed by veteran news anchor Almaz Mangisto, who will guide the audience through the poignant and carefully crafted ceremony.

As detailed in the JNS report, spiritual leadership will play a central role in the event’s structure. Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Kalman Ber, will lead the recitation of Psalms, a tradition rooted in Jewish mourning and remembrance. Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef, will offer the Kaddish, the traditional mourner’s prayer, emphasizing the intergenerational and pan-Jewish nature of the commemoration.

In one of the ceremony’s most moving moments, Holocaust survivor Yehuda Hauptman will recite El Maleh Rahamim, the prayer for the souls of the departed. This prayer, often recited at Jewish funerals and memorial services, is particularly meaningful during Yom HaShoah, serving as a collective cry for mercy and remembrance.

As part of the broader memorial initiatives, JNS reported that Yad Vashem is partnering with the organization Our 6 Million in an annual candle-lighting tradition. On Thursday, April 24, members of the public are invited to participate by lighting a memorial candle in Warsaw Ghetto Square between 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

This powerful, personal act allows individuals to physically and symbolically join the act of remembrance, lighting a candle in honor of one of the six million lives extinguished during the Holocaust. The initiative emphasizes the importance of personal engagement with memory, especially as the number of living survivors continues to dwindle.

This year’s theme, “Out of the Depths: The Anguish of Liberation and Rebirth,” focuses on the complex emotional reality that survivors faced in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust. As the JNS report explained, liberation brought not only freedom but profound sorrow: grief for lost families, destroyed communities, and shattered identities.

Many survivors found themselves displaced, stateless, and burdened with the trauma of what they had witnessed and endured. Yet from this unfathomable depth, they built new lives—many in Israel, where the rebirth of the Jewish nation became a source of collective healing and strength.

The theme reflects this paradox: liberation was not a neat end to the tragedy but the beginning of a long, painful journey toward restoration—spiritual, emotional, and national.

As the JNS report highlighted, Yom HaShoah is not only about memorializing the past; it is a call to action for future generations. With antisemitism on the rise across many parts of the world, the voices of survivors, the preservation of testimony, and the role of institutions such as Yad Vashem are more vital than ever.

This year’s commemorations serve as a stark reminder that memory is not passive—it is an act of resistance against erasure, distortion, and denial. Through the rituals of prayer, narrative, and music, Israel once again commits itself to a sacred promise: Never Again.

As the sun sets over Jerusalem on April 23, the nation will pause—not only to mourn but to remember, honor, and carry forward the torch of those who suffered, resisted, and ultimately helped forge a future out of the ashes of the past.