'No second Holocaust': Netanyahu, Herzog deliver speeches at Remembrance ceremony
“We are one family, with a shared destiny,” Herzog stated. “A family may argue, but it must never tear itself apart.”
Israel observed Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday with a national ceremony that was both somber and strategically adapted. For the first time, the official event at Yad Vashem was pre-recorded rather than held live.
President Herzog offered a poignant address focused on the imperative of global action and internal cohesion. Warning that "empty words" are an insufficient response to the global surge in antisemitism, he urged international leaders to confront hatred "before it is too late."
Turning his attention to the domestic front, Herzog framed the current conflict as a test of national character.
“We are one family, with a shared destiny,” Herzog stated. “A family may argue, but it must never tear itself apart.”
He expressed a firm conviction that while the campaign is prolonged, Israel would ultimately emerge "strengthened and empowered."
Prime Minister Netanyahu used his platform to contrast the systemic helplessness of the Jewish people during the 1940s with the military capabilities of the modern state. He noted that while Jews were once a "hunted people," they now possess a state that "roars with strength."
Reaffirming his long-standing pledge on Iran, he declared: “We promised there would be no second Holocaust, and this year, we fulfilled that promise in practice.”
He also highlighted Israel’s military actions against Iran and its regional network, saying the country is acting decisively to neutralize existential threats and ensure its survival.
The heart of the ceremony remained the traditional lighting of the memorial torches. Among the survivors honored was Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, whose participation served as a living bridge to the past.
The theme for this year’s observance, "The Jewish Family During the Holocaust," highlighted the systematic attempt to dismantle the Jewish domestic unit and the subsequent, miraculous continuity of the generations that followed.
Despite the constraints imposed by the security situation, Israel maintained the solemnity and universal message of Holocaust Remembrance Day, reaffirming its enduring commitment: to remember, to defend life, and to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.