The Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry has issued a request for information from the public regarding the commemoration of "Jews who lost their lives due to their Jewishness in antisemitic hostile acts outside of Israel," accordingly to an advertisement published on Thursday. It specified that this initiative is in response to the Israeli government's recognition of the "moral obligation" to honor these individuals, who were not Israeli citizens, through appropriate commemorative activities.
A special Committee, jointly formed by the Israeli government and national institutions, has been established to formulate recommendations on how to commemorate the "fallen" in the Diaspora. According to the ad, the committee will examine various topics, including the establishment of criteria and standards for commemoration, methods of marking the commemoration, the creation of a designated state monument and the regulation of formal and informal educational activities in Israel related to the commemoration.
Committee invites general public to express their opinions
The committee is led by the director general of the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Avi Cohen -Skali and will present its conclusions to Minister Amichai Chikli upon completion of the process. Detailed information about the committee's composition and the topics under consideration can be found on the ministry's website https://www.gov.il/en/departments/publications/reports/dec492-en.
The committee said it "invites the general public, as well as private and public organizations, professionals and interested individuals, to express their opinions in writing or provide relevant information and documents via email to diaspora@pmo.gov.il."
The deadline for submitting information is July 7th, 2023. Based on the committee's discretion, selected individuals or organizations may be invited to present their positions before the committee.
As published by The Jerusalem Post last month, the government approved establishing a committee that will tackle the commemoration of Jews in the Diaspora who were killed in antisemitic terrorist attacks.
Some of the initiatives include the establishment of a memorial site for Diaspora Jews and an accessible database with information on the victims. One suggestion is to establish a dedicated state monument, as well as to create a website with information about those who were killed in the Diaspora and to regulate “educational activities in the IDF and in the formal and informal education systems in Israel to commemorate Jews who were killed in the Diaspora," according to the government decision documents.