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7 ways NYC is marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day
(New York Jewish Week) – International Holocaust Remembrance Day is on Friday, marking 78 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. In commemoration of this day, there are numerous events across the city to remember victims and honor survivors of the genocide.
The United Nations designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005 and, in contrast with Yom HaShoah, which usually falls in late April, the day draws considerable attention from non-Jewish audiences. Since its founding, the day’s capacity to spread messages of stopping bigotry and antisemitism has grown significantly around the world.
Below are concerts, panels and exhibits happening in New York this week aimed at commemorating the day, honoring victims and preventing hate and antisemitism with education and awareness.
1. Yad Vashem’s Book of Names at the United Nations
To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem is exhibiting its Book of Names — a monumental installation containing the names of 4,800,000 victims of the Shoah — at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (Courtesy of Yad Vashem)
At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Yad Vashem is debuting its Book of Names exhibit, which contains the names of 4.8 million victims of the Holocaust. The names come from Yad Vashem’s central database of victims’ names, which they have been collecting since 1954. The opening of the exhibit will be broadcast on UN Web TV on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and will include remarks from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan. The exhibit will be open to the public until Feb. 17 at the United Nations (405 East 42nd St.). Free.
2. “Talking About the Holocaust in the 21st Century”
Fordham University will bring historians, authors and scholars together at their Lincoln Center campus for a panel discussion on how governments, media and educators can combat Holocaust denial and antisemitism. The panelists include former PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff, Fordham’s Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies Magda Teter, Professor of Jewish History at University of Virgina James Loeffler, author Linda Kinstler and Holocaust survivor and educator Eva Paddock. In partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Under-Told Stories Project of the University of St. Thomas. Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the McNally Amphitheater at Fordham University (140 West 62nd St.). Free and livestream available. Find more information here.
3. “Unmasking Antisemitism”
The Center for Jewish History will host an in-person and livestreamed panel discussion on past and present antisemitism, in collaboration with the United Nations and its new exhibit “#FakeImages: Unmask the Dangers of Stereotypes.” The exhibit, on view until Feb. 21, “challenges antisemitism, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and racism by explaining mechanisms of disinformation: propaganda, framing, fake news and conspiracy theory,” according to the UN website. The panel features historians Jonathan Brent (YIVO Institute for Jewish Research), Jason Guberman (American Sephardi Federation), Uffa Jensen (Technical University Berlin), Pamela Nadell (American University), Gavriel Rosenfeld (Center for Jewish History and Fairfield University) and Veerle Vanden Daelen (Kazerne Dossin). Thursday at 6:15 p.m at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St.). $20. Find more information here.
4. “We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust”
Harvey Fierstein, Joel Grey, Chita Rivera and Steven Skybell are among the dozens of performers set to appear at the “We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust” concert at Carnegie Hall on January 26, 2022. (Bruce Glikas/Getty Images, Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, Michael Loccisano / Getty Images) (Design by Mollie Suss)
Broadway stars Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera and Steven Skybell and other performers will sing 14 songs written in concentration camps and ghettos during the Holocaust at Carnegie Hall. “What better way to say ‘We Are Here’ than to carry on somebody’s voice from 1940, who was murdered?” co-producer Rabbi Charlie Savenor told the New York Jewish Week. Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Carnegie Hall (881 Seventh Ave.). Tickets starting at $18.
5. “Violins of Hope”
Hear the sounds of resilience, via a collection of violins once played by Jewish victims of the Holocaust that were later restored by Israeli father-son duo Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein. Around two dozen of these violins will be played at a special Friday night Shabbat service at Temple Emanu-El by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s before being displayed in an exhibit at the Upper East Side synagogue until March 28. Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El (1 East 65th St.). Register for the Kabbalat Shabbat service here. Get the livestream here. Free.
6. “Brundibár” performed by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City
The Museum of Jewish Heritage will host the Young People’s Chorus of New York City as they perform “Brundibár” (“Bumblebee”), which was a children’s opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása that was performed by the children of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The operetta will be performed by YPC choristers ages 8-11. The program, which will be livestreamed, will also feature covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel and Leonard Bernstein. Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Pl.). Tickets from $5-$36. Register here for the livestream.
7. “The Role of Mass Media in Holocaust Portrayal”
UJA-Federation of New York will host a panel with film producer and director Nancy Spielberg and author and podcaster Mark Oppenheimer about how the Holocaust has been portrayed in the media and the rise in Holocaust denial. The panel is part of the organization’s “Witness Project,” which aims to instill the memory of the Holocaust in the next generation. The virtual event will take place on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Free. Register here.
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Herzog Says Wellbeing of Israelis His Only Concern in Deal With Netanyahu’s ‘Extraordinary’ Pardon Request
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
i24 News – In an interview with Politico published on Saturday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remained tight-lipped on whether he intended to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extraordinary” pardon request, saying that his decision will be motivated by what’s best for Israel.
“There is a process which goes through the Justice Ministry and my legal adviser and so on. This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” Herzog said. “The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority.”
Asked specifically about President Donald Trump’s request, Herzog said “I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
Herzog addressed a wide range of topics in the interview, including the US-Israel ties and the shifts in public opinion on Israel.
“One has to remember that the fountains of America, of American life, are based on biblical values, just like ours. And therefore, I believe that the underlying fountain that we all drink from is the same,” he said. “However, I am following very closely the trends that I see in the American public eye and the attitude, especially of young people, on Israel.”
“It comes from TikTok,” he said of the torrent of hostility toward Israel that has engulf swathes of U.S. opinion since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, “from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture, which is, is Israel a strategic ally? Yes. Is Israel contributing to American national interests, security interests? Absolutely yes. Is Israel a beacon of democracy in the Middle East? Absolutely yes.”
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Syria’s Sharaa Charges Israel ‘Exports Its Crises to Other Countries’
FILE PHOTO: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday escalated his messaging against Israel at the Doha forum.
“Israel is working to export its own crises to other countries and escape accountability for the massacres it committed in the Gaza Strip, justifying everything with security concerns,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Syria, since its liberation, has sent positive messages aimed at establishing the foundations of regional stability.
“Israel has responded to Syria with extreme violence, launching over 1,000 airstrikes and carrying out 400 incursions into its territory. The latest of these attacks was the massacre it perpetrated in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, which claimed dozens of lives.
“We are working with influential countries worldwide to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2014, and all countries support this demand.
“Syria insists on Israel’s adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. The demand for a demilitarized zone raises many questions. Who will protect this zone if there is no Syrian army presence?
“Any agreement must guarantee Syria’s interests, as it is Syria that is subjected to Israeli attacks. So, who should be demanding a buffer zone and withdrawal?”
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Turkey’s Fidan: Gaza Governance Must Precede Hamas Disarmament in Ceasefire Deal
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, May 27, 2025. Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday that not advancing the US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan to its next stage would be a “huge failure” for the world and Washington, noting that President Donald Trump had personally led the push.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said a credible Palestinian civil administration and a vetted, trained police force needed to be in place to allow Hamas to disarm, and that the group was prepared to hand over control of the enclave.
“First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas.”
NATO member Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza. It played a key role in brokering the ceasefire deal, signing the agreement as a guarantor. It has repeatedly expressed its willingness to join efforts to monitor the accord’s implementation, a move Israel strongly opposes.
Talks to advance the next phase of President Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict in Gaza are continuing.
The plan envisages an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave, overseen by an international “board of peace” and supported by a multinational security force. Negotiations over the composition and mandate of that force have proven particularly difficult.
Fidan said the Gaza police force would be backed by the international stabilisation force. He added that Washington was pressing Israel over Turkey’s bid to join the force, to which it has voiced readiness to deploy troops if needed.
FIDAN SAYS KURDISH SDF IN SYRIA NOT WILLING TO INTEGRATE
Asked about a landmark deal in March in which the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Damascus agreed that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s state structures, Fidan said signals from the SDF showed it had “no intention” of honouring the accord, and was instead seeking to sidestep it.
Ankara, which considers the SDF a terrorist organisation, has threatened military action if it does not comply, setting a deadline of the end of the year.
“I think they (SDF) should understand that the command and control should come from one place,” Fidan added. “There can be no two armies in any given country. So there can only be one army, one command structure … But in local administration, they can reach a different settlement and different understandings.”
Almost a year after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said some issues of minority rights were unresolved, insisting that Turkey’s backing of the new Syrian government was not a “blank cheque” to oppress any groups.
He said Damascus was taking steps toward national unity, but that Israeli “destabilisation policies” were the chief obstacle.
Israel has frequently struck southwestern Syria this year, citing threats from militant groups and the need to protect the Druze community near the frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he expected Syria to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the border.
TURKEY: U.S. COULD REMOVE SANCTIONS ‘VERY SOON’
Fidan also said Washington’s initial 28-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was just a “starting point,” and that it was now evolving in a new format. He said mediation by US officials was “on the right path.”
“I just hope that nobody leaves the table and the Americans are not frustrated, because sometimes the mediators can be frustrated if they don’t see enough encouragement from both sides.”
Asked about efforts to lift US sanctions imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, he said both sides were working on it, adding: “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle.”