Freed hostage Mia Shem, Avi Harush, and Ayelet Samrano to speak at NYC memorial ceremony

A state memorial ceremony honoring Israeli victims of terrorism will take place in New York on Monday, organized by Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, alongside the Israeli Consulate General in the city.

The event will be held in a historic 19th-century synagogue, bringing together prominent leaders of the city’s Jewish organizations and numerous foreign diplomats. The Consul General himself will address the gathering, accompanied by Ilan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council (IAC); Mia Shem, who recently returned home after enduring captivity by Hamas; Avi Harush, the father of Reif Harush, a soldier who fell in Gaza in December; and Ayelet Samrano, the mother of Yonatan Samrano, who workers abducted from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

The importance of remembering October 7

Ahead of the ceremony, Consul General Akunis underscored the importance of remembering the atrocities inflicted on Israelis, noting that the recent October 7 attack by Hamas amounted to “an act of pure evil.”

"We will not allow anyone to forget or erase the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7," Akunis emphasized. "Hamas's goal was nothing short of genocide, and our brave forces are actively working to eradicate these barbaric terrorist organizations across all fronts." He added that Israel’s battle is not merely for its survival but a fight "on behalf of the entire Western world" in the pursuit of "building a new Middle East."

The ceremony aims to memorialize those who have suffered under terrorism and to reinforce global awareness and solidarity against extremism, with New York's Jewish and diplomatic communities gathered in support.