The government of Israel has recently announced a review that could result in a landmark step of honoring the memory of Diaspora Jews who have been murdered in antisemitic attacks abroad.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism revealed that it was forming a committee that will work to ensure that the state "recognizes its obligation to officially memorialize non-Israeli Jews from around the world who were murdered explicitly for being Jewish," the Ruderman Family Foundation said in a statement.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Israel's formation of the committee represents the government's adoption of "The Ruderman Roadmap", the foundation said, noting that this includes strategic guidelines on Israel-Diaspora relations that it offered "with the goal of formalizing this shift in the state's approach toward non-Israeli Jews who were victims of antisemitism in the Diaspora."
"This is a historic day for the Jewish people and the State of Israel," Executive Director of the Ruderman Family Foundation Shira Ruderman said. "With this decision, the State of Israel has proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is the state of the Jewish people, and that only through our unity as a people and through the mutual guarantee between us can we guarantee our security and prosperity."
"We appreciate the commitment of Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli to promote this initiative," she added. "The Ruderman Family Foundation will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen the State of Israel's relationship with American Jewry and with the entire Diaspora."
The Foundation's roadmap calls for the State of Israel "to have a defined policy for marking, observing, or conducting any state-sponsored act of solidarity with the memory of those who fell victim to antisemitic acts in the Diaspora for belonging to the Jewish people."
In 1998, the government expanded Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) to include the commemoration of Israeli victims of terrorism. Yet to date, the official state ceremonies do not recognize non-Israeli Jews who were victims of antisemitic hostilities worldwide.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
