Largest English Yom HaZikaron Ceremony in the World
The ceremony brought together hundreds of thousands of Jews from around the world to honor Jewish victims of terror and the fallen Israeli soldiers who gave their lives to protect the State of Israel
On April 24, Masa Israel Journey held their 15th annual Yom HaZikaron ceremony at Yad L’Shiryon in Latrun. The theme was “Forever Connected.” With over 7,000 attendees and hundreds of thousands of viewers across the globe, in dozens of countries, it was the largest English ceremony in the world. It was also translated into Spanish, French and Russian.
Attendees included Masa Fellows and alumni, bereaved families, board members, Jewish Federation delegates and a delegation led by Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives, and 12 other members of the House of Representatives who will lay a wreath in memory of the fallen. In addition, numerous Jewish leaders, including Mark Wilf, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, and Steven Lowy AM, Chairman of the World Board of Trustees of Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal. Together, they commemorated the lives of fallen Israeli soldiers and Jewish victims of terror originally from France, the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, and Argentina.
The ceremony was live streamed to global audiences and included speeches from Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs, Major General (res.) Doron Almog, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel; Julie Platt, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America; and Ofer Gutman, CEO of Masa Israel Journey. David Koschitzky, Immediate Past Chair of Keren Hayesod’s World Board of Trustees, led the Yizkor prayer.
The stories of lives cut short
This year’s ceremony shared the stories of Joyce Fienberg z”l, a victim of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh; Second Lieutenant Carmi Elan z”l, a Los Angeles-born pilot who died following a training accident; Officer Shirel Aboukarat z”l, a 19-year-old Border Police Officer who made Aliyah from France and was killed by terrorists in Hadera; Michael Ladygin z”l, a Russian native who made Aliyah and was murdered by a terrorist in Ariel in 2022; Captain Alexander (Sasha) Schwartzman z”l, an IDF soldier from Ukraine who was killed by enemy fire; and Uriel Bar-Maimon Wolf z”l, a Border Guard Officer who made Aliyah from Argentina and was killed at the Erez checkpoint. Nine wreaths were laid by the bereaved families, members of the Israeli government and Knesset and House of Representatives delegations in their honor.
“We must honor our fallen and mourn our losses”
“Yom HaZikaron, our Day of Remembrance, is an essential part of Israel and the Jewish people. At Masa, it is extremely important to us that we recognize we are forever connected people, and we must reflect on our journey. It makes us who we are. We must honor our fallen and we must mourn our losses. The individual stories shared here tonight are connected by the values of love, determination, sacrifice, and commitment. This ceremony is for us to focus on the heroes who gave their ‘last full measure of devotion’ – and they gave it to Israel. To the Jewish people,” said Ofer Gutman, CEO of Masa Israel Journey.
"The shared fate between world Jewry and the State of Israel is molded by the spirit of dedication of those who gave their lives in Israel's wars and also by the terrible sacrifice of the victims of terrorism and antisemitism around the world. The spirit of the fallen and the murdered is a source of inspiration among our people," said Doron Almog, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Masa Israel Journey is the largest immersive, long-term educational experience for young adults between the ages of 16-35. Programs range from four months to a year, where Masa offers an authentic, unmediated, and challenging journey into Israeli society, culture, politics, and history – and acts as the largest provider for global Jewry to access the finest Israeli businesses, social enterprises, and academic institutions. Since its founding in 2004 by The Jewish Agency and the Government of Israel, Masa has served over 190,000 young people from more than 60 countries.
For more information, visit Masa’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, or the Haaretz website
Partnered with Masa Israel Journey
