Thousands participated Sunday in events commemorating the 80th “Day of Liberation and Rescue” of European Jewry from the Nazis, marked on the 26th of the Jewish month of Iyar.

Monday's events, commemorating 80 years since the rescue of Holocaust survivors and in memory of the holy martyrs of the Holocaust, was initiated a decade ago by philanthropist Gabriel German Zakhareyev, with the endorsement of chief rabbis in Europe and Israel, on the Hebrew date of the Third Reich’s surrender in France.

This week, the day was commemorated in Israel and worldwide, with the participation of chief rabbis, Allied representatives, and Holocaust survivors. This year’s events were held under the theme, “From Generation to Generation,” with special emphasis on the participation of young schoolchildren and Torah students.

Thousands of people and hundreds of children took part in impressive displays of unity across dozens of prayer and thanksgiving gatherings held in synagogues, memorial sites, and schools around the world, including Buenos Aires, Budapest, Moscow, Vienna, Paris, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Georgetown (New York), Pinsk and Minsk (Belarus), and Sydney, Australia. In attendance were chief rabbis, community leaders, defense ministers, government representatives, military attachés, diplomats from Allied nations, and Holocaust survivors.

In Djerba, Tunisia, a particularly moving prayer service was held to commemorate the liberation and rescue from the Nazis’ grip. In Bucharest, Romania, hundreds of Ukrainian refugees participated in a prayer service. In Israel, the central prayer service took place at the Western Wall, as well as in dozens of synagogues and 18 centers for World War II veterans throughout the country. At the synagogue led by Rabbi Yaniv Naftayev, chief rabbi of the Caucasus Jewish community in Akko (Acre), participants held a thanksgiving prayer and a festive Siyum Hashas (ceremony marking the completion of the Talmud).

As is customary, the events began with a prayer and thanksgiving gathering at the Western Wall, attended by Rabbi Moshe Lebel, head of the Torah Chaim Yeshiva and Av Beit Din of Moscow; Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites; leaders of the “We and Our Offspring” initiative; and rabbis, lecturers, and public figures.

Hundreds of students from the Mishnah study project in memory of Holocaust martyrs, operated under the “We and Our Offspring” umbrella and active at sixty branches throughout Israel, participated under the auspices of philanthropist Gabriel German Zakhareyev, the initiator of the Day of Liberation and Rescue.

These children — the largest Mishnah study group in the world — touched the hearts of families and attendees by reciting Psalms and singing songs for the release of hostages and the healing of the wounded.

Participants at the Western Wall service accepted upon themselves the yoke of Heaven through heartfelt prayers and a circle of song in praise of the Almighty “Who delivered us from our oppressors.”

Rabbi Moshe Lebel opened the gathering with words of urgency: “In these times, we deeply feel the verse from the Passover Haggadah: ‘In every generation, they rise against us to destroy us.’ This is not history — it is prophecy. We are experiencing it daily. Therefore, we need more than ever the pure prayers of young children, especially here, near the remnants of our Holy Temple: ‘From the mouths of babes and sucklings, You have established strength to silence the enemy and avenger.’”

The ceremony, produced by Rabbi Mordechai Rabinowitz of Tip Productions, concluded with a memorial prayer (“Yizkor”) recited by cantor Rabbi David Weinbach, ending with the heartfelt plea: “May this be an hour of mercy and a time of favor before You.” Prior to the ceremony, hundreds of children visited the home of the eminent Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, chief rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem, to receive his blessings.

In Moscow’s Grand Synagogue, hundreds gathered for a prayer and thanksgiving service led by Russia’s Chief Rabbis, Rabbi Avraham Shayevitz and Rabbi Berel Lazar, whose emotional remarks ignited the crowd. Rabbi Lazar highlighted the importance of the initiative and praised its founder, Mr. Gabriel German Zakhareyev, who also delivered a moving speech. A young student from the “Reshit Chochma” Talmud Torah recited a mishnah and moved all those present. Among the hundreds of participants were members of parliament, survivors, war veterans, public officials, and community members. Psalms were recited, and cantor Rabbi Uriel Grant led the “Kel Maleh Rachamim” memorial prayer.

At the event, letters of blessing were read from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier in the day, an international conference on the Day of Liberation and Rescue was held, attended by academic leaders and members of parliament. Additionally, a women’s assembly drew over 1,000 participants who took part in a mass “hafrashat challah” (separating dough) ceremony, praying for the healing of the wounded and the return of the hostages.

In the sanctuary of the “Or Torah” yeshiva, located in the synagogue of the late Rabbi Shalom in Djerba, Tunisia, a particularly moving prayer ceremony was held, attended by hundreds of locals and students. Rabbi Haim Bitan, Chief Rabbi of Tunisia, led the prayers. The event was organized with care and dedication by Rabbi Yaniv Bitan.

In the Beit Midrash in Bucharest, Romania, home to the transplanted Jewish community of Odessa, the local community held a thanksgiving gathering with hundreds of students from the “Tikva” institutions. Rabbi Shlomo Baksht, chief rabbi of Odessa, led the prayers and gave an emotional speech about the obligation to give thanks to God for the rescue of the Jewish people and to remember the holy martyrs.

At the La Rancy Synagogue in Paris, a prayer and thanksgiving ceremony was held, led by the synagogue’s rabbi and the special assistant to France’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Levin. Among the participants were Holocaust survivors and World War II Red Army veterans.

In Frankfurt’s Westend Synagogue, the Jewish community held an evening memorial service led by the chairman of Germany’s rabbinical organization and chief rabbi of Frankfurt, Rabbi Avichai Apel. Cantor Rabbi Yoni Rose led the Psalms and Yizkor prayers. At the “Beit Aharon” school run by the Stolin-Karlin institutions in Pinsk, students held a prayer and Mishnah study gathering. Rabbi Moshe Pima, head of the institutions, addressed the students.

In Vienna, the Jewish community held a prayer and Yizkor service at the Grand Synagogue, led by Rabbi Yaron Elgamayer. The service concluded with the singing of “Ani Ma’amin” (“I Believe”) to the moving melody composed by Rabbi Azriel David Fastag, may God avenge his blood, on his way to the death camps.

President Isaac Herzog sent a special letter of blessing, writing: “In this time when the people of Israel are once again facing serious existential and security challenges, there is special significance to communal prayer — rooted in faith and unity and in yearning for peace. This is an opportunity to deepen our roots, to draw strength from our ancestral chain, and to be inspired by the resilience of a people who survived the darkest abyss in history.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sent a special greeting, writing about the “veterans” of World War II: “Their courage is well known and continues to inspire. We will forever remember that among the victorious Allied armies were countless Jewish soldiers. They fulfilled a dual mission — saving humanity from barbaric tyranny and rescuing our people from an even greater calamity.” He added, in reference to Hamas: “Remembering the past is critical — provided that it also leads to necessary lessons. There is no room for compromise with those who seek our destruction.”

The initiative to mark the Day of Liberation and Rescue is led by philanthropist Gabriel German Zakhareyev, Vice President of the Russian Jewish Congress and President of the international aid foundation STMEGI. “Sadly,” said Zakhareyev, “even after the horrors of the Holocaust, dangers to our people have not disappeared, and the boundaries between good and evil continue to blur. One of the core purposes of the Day of Liberation and Rescue — on the Hebrew date of the Third Reich’s surrender — is to emphasize the victory over Nazism and to transmit from generation to generation the values of gratitude to God and His emissaries, the importance of distinguishing between good and evil, and of course, to commemorate all the holy martyrs who perished in the war against the Nazis — through prayer, charity, Torah scroll dedications, and the study of Mishnah, as is our ancient tradition.”