Israeli government recognizes Diaspora victims in historic resolution

The government on Monday approved Resolution 492, which officially commemorates Jews who lost their lives due to their Jewishness in hostile acts with an antisemitic background in the Diaspora.

For the first time since the establishment of the state, the government on Monday approved a proposal – by Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli – to recognize the State of Israel’s duty as the nation-state of the Jewish people and to officially commemorate Diaspora Jews who are not Israeli citizens, murdered because of their Jewishness in hostile acts with an antisemitic background. The “Ruderman Plan,” as the ministry dubbed it, was named for the Ruderman Family Foundation, which laid out the framework for promoting this historic step.

The government established a special committee headed by the director-general of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry with national institutions and representatives of public bodies. The committee submitted its recommendations to the government on Monday – approved unanimously – which include determining a commemoration date and establishing a dedicated monument, making information about the fallen accessible by creating a website and a database, organizing educational activities, and integrating them into the formal and informal education systems.

“The hostile acts often befall our people both in our country and abroad,” Chikli said. “The October 7 massacre and the [Gaza] War of Iron Swords were launched against Israel for one reason: Jew-hatred / Israel-hatred. This is also the only reason our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora suffer from severe and shocking antisemitic incidents.

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“Recognizing the victims of antisemitic violence as part of the victims of hostile acts is an important and necessary step, fulfilling the state’s commitment in the Nation-State Law that ‘the state will strive to ensure the safety of the members of the Jewish people and its citizens who are in trouble and captivity due to their Jewishness or citizenship.’”

THE RESOLUTION follows a call made in 2022 by Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization and former chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Hagoel had sent a letter to then-prime minister Naftali Bennett, urging Israel to officially recognize Jewish victims of antisemitic attacks worldwide.

“The government’s recognition of the fallen in the Diaspora is crucial,” Hagoel wrote to Bennett in 2022. “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.”

'Strengthening the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and Israel'

Regarding the current resolution, Hagoel said: “This is a historic day that strengthens the unbreakable bond between the 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,” he said.

“I thank the Israeli government, the Diaspora Affairs Minister, the director-general of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, and the Ruderman Family Foundation for advancing the adoption of this historic resolution. One people, one destiny, one memory, and one future.”

Shira Ruderman, CEO of the Ruderman Family Foundation, called the resolution “a bold government decision that strengthens the shared destiny between Israel and the Jewish world, which has become even clearer since October 7.”

“I congratulate the Israeli government on approving the resolution we initiated,” Ruderman said. “It includes appropriate elements for commemorating Jews who were murdered because of their Jewishness and due to antisemitic backgrounds. This will be done on National Memorial Day, at a dedicated monument in the country, in the education systems – and most importantly, in a database that will, for the first time, gather their names and stories – something that has not been done until today.”

Ruderman emphasized the resolution’s historic significance: “This is a historic day in which the State of Israel has proven that only through our unity as a people and our mutual responsibility can we ensure security.”