For the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel: a special joint Committee comprising the Government of Israel and the National Institutions operates in order to implement Government Resolution No. 492 dated May 7th 2023, concerning state commemoration of Diaspora Jews who lost their lives in antisemitic attacks.
The Committee, chaired by the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel, and the Director-General of the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Avi Cohen Scali, and under the direction of the Secretary-General of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Josh Schwarcz, with the participation of representatives from the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, the National Security Council, the Jewish Agency for Israel and from the World Zionist Organization, began its deliberations and granted recognition to dozens of victims of antisemitic murders since the establishment of the State of Israel, based on an initial professional scanning of the circumstances of the attacks.
The Committee is examining the details of violent aggressions of antisemitic nature in the Diaspora and consequently establishes a list of victims who are eligible for commemoration according to the following criteria:
• The incident matches the following definition of injury incurred by hostile action: “An injury due to hostile acts of military forces or paramilitary forces or irregular military forces of a State that is hostile to the Jewish People, from hostilities carried out by an organization or a person that is hostile to the Jewish People, or from hostile acts that were carried out while providing assistance to one of the aforementioned, or on their behalf, in order to promote their goals, provided that the main purpose of the hostile act as stated, was to harm the Jewish People or a Jew for being Jewish”.
• The target of the attack was chosen on account of their Jewishness, their identification (real or imagined) with the Jewish People (a building, a public or a private event or an individual).
• The injury was based on a professed antisemitic or antizionist perception.
• Harming a Jew as a result of deliberate damage caused to an Israeli property or to an Israeli entity.
• The assailants have a prior history of antisemitism.
• The incident was defined as antisemitic by the relevant authorities in the country of occurrence.
Interested parties and the general public are hereby invited to send proposals to the Committee with the aim of acknowledging the names of specific victims.
A concise letter comprising a summary of the event and not exceeding two pages in length, should be sent to the following email: avivaz@jafi.org. The letter must state the name of the submitter and who they represent, and relevant documents must be appended.
