The Israeli government has approved Resolution 492 to commemorate Jews who lost their lives due to their Jewishness in hostile acts with an Antisemitic background in the Diaspora.
In 2022, Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization who at the time also served as chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for Israel's official commemoration of the Jewish victims of Antisemitic attacks around the world.
“The government's recognition of the Fallen in the Diaspora is crucial,” Hagoel wrote to then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He added, “We must not forget our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who were murdered solely due to their Jewishness. The State of Israel must act to officially recognize those murdered and victims of Antisemitic attacks around the world. We must remember them in the official ceremonies of the State of Israel and act so that they will be an integral part of the national memory and commemoration… this is our duty for our Jewish brothers and sisters."
Led by Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli, the government established a special committee to discuss the commemoration of non-Israeli Jews who lost their lives due to their Jewishness in hostile acts with an Antisemitic background in the Diaspora. Today, on May 27th, 2024, the 19th of Iyar 5784, the Israeli government officially adopted the recommendations of the committee.
Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization responded by stating, “This is a historic day that strengthens the unbreakable bond between the entire Jewish people and the State of Israel. We have all witnessed the severe wave of Antisemitism that Diaspora Jewry has been facing, especially since the beginning of the Swords of Iron War. The State of Israel and our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora share one destiny. The adoption of this resolution to commemorate fallen Jews from the Diaspora who were murdered simply because they were Jewish emphasizes the mutual responsibility and shared destiny between Israel and the entire Jewish people. I thank the Israeli government, the Minister for Diaspora Affairs, the Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, and the Ruderman Family Foundation for advancing the adoption of this historic resolution. One people, one destiny, one memory, and one future.”