Today (Monday), Masa Israel Journey, a leader in Jewish and Israel programming, held their 15th annual Yom HaZikaron ceremony at Yad L’Shiryon in Latrun, Israel. The theme of this year’s ceremony was “Forever Connected”. With over 7,000 attendees and hundred of thousands of viewers across the globe, in dozens of countries, it was the largest English ceremony in the world. The ceremony was also translated to Spanish, French and Russian.

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 Heysod-United Israel Appeal, joined Masa Fellows and alumni, board members, Jewish Federation delegates, bereaved families, and community members to commemorate the lives of fallen Israeli soldiers and Jewish victims of terror originally from France, the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, and Argentina. In addition, Hakeem Jeffries Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives, and 12 members of the House of Representatives laid a wreath in memory of the fallen.

This year, Israel's milestone 75th anniversary is an important reminder that we are forever connected through our history and the safety and continued survival of our country. 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.

This year’s ceremony shared the stories of:

  • Joyce Fienberg z”l, a victim of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. She spent her life as a child development researcher and left behind two children and six grandchildren.
  • Second Lieutenant Carmi Elan z”l, a Los Angeles-born pilot who died at the young age of 19 due to injuries he received during a training accident.
  • Officer Shirel Aboukarat z”l, a 19-year-old Border Police Officer who made Aliyah from France and was killed by two terrorists during an attack at a bus station in Hadera.
  • Michael Ladygin z”l, a Russian native who made Aliyah and was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in Ariel in 2022, leaving behind a wife and two children.
  • Captain Alexander (Sasha) Schwartzman z”l, an IDF soldier from Ukraine. She refused evacuation after being injured in battle to ensure her fellow soldiers were treated first. However, she was later killed by enemy fire.
  • Uriel Bar-Maimon Wolf z”l, a Border Guard Officer who made Aliyah from Argentina and fell during operational activities at the Erez checkpoint.

Nine wreaths were laid by the bereaved families, members of the Israeli government and Knesset and House of Representatives delegation in honor of the stories shared.

“Yom HaZikaron, our Day of Remembrance, is an essential part of Israel and the Jewish people. At Masa is it extremely important to us that we recognize we are a 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. The State of Israel was founded and built thanks to this partnership, thanks to devotion and unconditional love" said Doron Almog, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.