13 April 2023
Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day will be observed this year starting Monday evening, 17 April 2023 through Tuesday, 18 April 2023. The official State Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Day will take place on Monday 17 April, at 20:00, in Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem. Israel’s President H.E. Mr. Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu will both deliver remarks at the Opening Ceremony. Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan will kindle the Memorial Torch. Shoshana Weis will speak on behalf of the survivors.
During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. First torch: Tova Gutstein; second torch: Ben-Zion Raisch; third torch: Judith Sohlberg; fourth torch: Robert Bonfil; fifth torch: Efim Gimelshtein; sixth torch: Malka Rendel. During the ceremony, short videos about each of the torchlighters will be shown. Produced and directed by Shlomo Hazan, these videos will be available on the Yad Vashem website in the section dedicated to Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023.
Israeli singers Shuli Rand and Keren Peles, as well as Israeli opera singers Yair Polishook, Shahaf Regev and Yoav Ayalon will perform musical interludes at the ceremony, which will also include narrative pieces by Israeli actor Mickey Leon. The emcee for the ceremony will be Hila Korach.
The ceremony will feature a traditional memorial service, including the recitation of a chapter from Psalms by Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau. The Rishon LeZion, Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will recite the Kaddish mourner's prayer, and Holocaust survivor Efraim Mol will recite El Maleh Rahamim, the Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs.
Yad Vashem will broadcast the State Opening Ceremony live with simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian via its websites in their respective languages. Additionally, Yad Vashem will offer simultaneous translation in Arabic on the Yad Vashem YouTube Channel in Arabic. The live feed will be accessible via Facebook (only live in English and Hebrew). The State Opening Ceremony will last approximately 90 minutes.
Memorial Candle Lighting Ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance
This year, for the first time, Yad Vashem is partnering with the "Our 6 Million" organization to start a new tradition for Holocaust Remembrance Day: a memorial candle lighting ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem. Individuals attending the State Opening Ceremony will be invited to light a memorial candle bearing the name of a Holocaust victim in the Hall of Remembrance before the start of the event. Yad Vashem will be broadcast the candle-lighting ceremony live starting at 17:30 until the start of the State Opening Ceremony. In addition, on Tuesday, 18 April 2023, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the general public is invited to light a memorial candle bearing the identity of a Holocaust victim in Warsaw Ghetto Square starting at 11:00 until 16:30.
Yad Vashem Online
Yad Vashem has created a special mini-site dedicated to Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2023, containing information about the events and ceremonies taking place throughout the day. Included in the mini-site are relevant educational materials as well as a new online exhibition entitled, "Every Victim has a Name".
Ongoing Campaigns
Yad Vashem continues to call on the public to fill out Pages of Testimony to commemorate every individual Jewish man, woman and child murdered during the Holocaust. Volunteers are available to help Holocaust survivors submit Pages of Testimony. Yad Vashem is also continuing its nationwide Gathering the Fragments campaign in an effort to rescue more Holocaust-related documents, artifacts, photographs and artworks, as well as to interview, document and record video testimonies of survivors. For more information on all of these ongoing commemorative projects, tel.: +972-2-6443888 or email: collect@yadvashem.org.il
Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS17 April 2023
Entrance for Journalists to the Official Opening Ceremony on Monday 17 April at 18:00.
ALL PRESS MUST PRE-REGISTER WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION AT YAD VASHEM Tel: 02-6443412 or Email: simmy.allen@yadvashem.org.il
PRESS ATTENDING THE CEREMONY MUST BRING AND SHOW A VALID GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD – NO EXCEPTIONS.
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.
Shuttle Services will run from the Mt. Herzl Parking Lot starting at 18:00.
No firearms are permitted.
It is recommended to dress warmly.
17 April 2023
Entrance for Journalists to the Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Tuesday, 18 April 2023
ALL PRESS MUST PRE-REGISTER WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION AT YAD VASHEM, tel.: 02-6443412 or email: simmy.allen@yadvashem.org.il
Journalists should arrive to Yad Vashem at 07:30.
Please note that cars will not be permitted to enter the site. Journalists and photographers can arrive via shuttle buses available for the public departing from the Mt. Herzl parking lot starting at 07:30.
PRESS ATTENDING THE CEREMONY MUST SHOW A VALID GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD.
THERE WILL BE NO ENTRY TO THE CEREMONY AFTER 09:15.
The Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Tuesday, 18 April 2023 will take place in the Hall of Remembrance and start promptly at 10:02 immediately following the siren,
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.
No Firearms Permitted.
GPO will provide live feed from the ceremony.
The Yad Vashem Campus will be accessible to the public from 11:00 via free shuttle services departing from the Mt. Herzl Parking Lot until 20:00.
Holocaust Remembrance Day Schedule18 April
10:00 Siren
10:02 Wreath-Laying Ceremony with the participation of Israel's President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court, representatives of survivor and fighter organizations and delegations from throughout the country—Hall of Remembrance
Admission by personal invitation only
11:00–12:45 “Unto Every Person There is a Name” Recitation of Holocaust victims’ names by members of the public—Hall of Remembrance (a similar event will take place in the Knesset in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset)
11:00-16:30 Memorial Candle Lighting Ceremony in the Warsaw Ghetto Square The public is invited to come to Yad Vashem, to light a memorial candle bearing the identity of a Holocaust victim in Warsaw Ghetto Square.
13:00 Main memorial ceremony—Hall of Remembrance
17:30 Youth Movement Ceremony in the presence of the Director General of the Minister of Education Assaf Tsalel, CEO of Yad Vashem Brig. Gen. (res.) Tzvika Fayirizen and hundreds of participants of the various national youth movements. Holocaust survivor Yakov Strutz, born 1927 in Lutzik, Poland, will light the Memorial Torch, accompanied by youth movement members. Joy Reiger will emcee the ceremony. Israeli singer Eden Chason will perform at the ceremony along with the Youth Movement Choir under the musical direction of Moishele Yosef. The ceremony is conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education’s Youth and Social Administration and the Youth Movement Council — Valley of the Communities
Admission by personal invitation only
