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How Yom Hashoah is being marked in New York City
(New York Jewish Week) — Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, begins this year on the evening of Monday, April 17 and lasts through Tuesday, April 18. The day is Israel’s official day of commemoration of the Holocaust and is marked by Jewish communities and congregations worldwide.
The date was chosen in 1951 to mark the anniversary on the Hebrew calendar of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, whose 80th anniversary is being marked this year. On April 19, 1943, German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants to concentration camps and killing centers. Jewish insurgents fought back for nearly a month before the rebellion was crushed.
Below is a list of events, panels, screenings and gatherings happening in New York City next week to commemorate the lives of the six million murdered and the heroism of the Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.
April 16
Annual Gathering of Remembrance at Temple Emanu-El
The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and Temple Emanu-El partner to host the annual “Gathering of Remembrance” on Sunday beginning at 2:00 p.m. The in-person and live streamed event will include speeches from Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations; U.S. Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-New York) and Holocaust survivors Toby Levi, Ilana Yaari and Jerry Lindenstraus. There will also be performances from HaZamir International Jewish Teen Choir and Steven Skybell. Register here.
“Celebration of Life and Hope” concert with Holocaust Music Lost & Found
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m., join Holocaust Music Lost & Found for a free concert and conversation at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. The concert will feature songs written during the Holocaust and will be hosted by Israeli cellist Elad Kabilio. More information here.
April 17
Reading of the Names on the Upper West Side
From Monday night through Tuesday, Upper West Side congregations will come together to read the names of victims of the Holocaust and commemorate their lives. The readings will occur from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at Congregation Ansche Chesed (251 W. 100th St.) and from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.). The readings will also be livestreamed. For more information, click here.
Stories of Survival and Remembrance at the United Nations
The United Nations is opening a brand new exhibit in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day: “Stories of Survival and Remembrance: A Call to Action for Genocide Prevention.” Per the website, the exhibit “reveals the lives of those impacted by war, trauma, displacement and exile through the Holocaust, genocide and other atrocity crimes in Cambodia, Srebrenica and Rwanda, while reflecting on how the UN has responded to genocide and atrocity crimes since its establishment.” It will be on display through June 15.
Additionally, on Monday at 10:00 a.m., the United Nations is hosting a panel discussion with Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert and her great-grandson Dov Forman, who in 2022 together published “Lily’s Promise,” Ebert’s memoir of her time in Auschwitz and the aftermath. They will be in conversation with Holocaust historian Debórah Dwork. The discussion will take place online. Register for the link here.
Film Screening of “Mathilde et Rosette” at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
The Carole Zabar Center for Film is screening Mathilde et Rosette on Monday at 7:00 p.m. The French documentary tells the story of director Alice Ekman’s visit to her 92-year-old great uncle to uncover 75 years of her family’s secret and traumatic history. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Ekman, moderated by Scott Richman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. Tickets start at $16, register here.
Screening and Conversation at 92NY
On Monday at 7:30 p.m., join 92NY for a screening of the documentary “Four Winters: A Story of Jewish Partisan Resistance and Bravery in WWII,” which tells the story of eight survivors who joined the Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. A conversation with director Julia Mintz will follow the screening at 9:15 p.m. The conversation will also be livestreamed. Tickets from $18, register here.
Yom HaShoah with the Manhattan Jewish Experience
The Manhattan Jewish Experience (131 W. 86th St.) invites New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s to commemorate Yom HaShoah on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Holocaust survivor Gerd Korman, author of “Nightmare’s Fairy Tale: A Young Refugee’s Home Fronts, 1938–1948” will share his story, with a dessert reception to follow. Tickets from $10, available here.
The Warsaw Ghetto Memorial, located at the south end of the Promenade at 83rd Street in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, will be site of an annual gathering on Wednesday, April 19. (Riverside Park Conservancy)
April 19
Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising at Der Shteyn
The Congress for Jewish Culture, Friends of the Bund, Jewish Labor Committee, the Workers Circle and YIVO will join together to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The annual gathering will take place on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Der Shteyn, a memorial stone in Riverside Park between 83rd and 84th Street. The event will include speeches and performances. It will also be recorded. Find more information here.
The Sound of the Siren: The History of the Holocaust and the Rise of Global Antisemitism
The New York City Bar Association will host a lunchtime panel discussion on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. featuring experts, Holocaust survivors and advocates who work to counteract Holocaust denial. This event will share three reports of the NYC Bar Association which address antisemitic conspiracy theories and the rise of antisemitism. The program is free for members and non-lawyers and $15 for non-member lawyers. Lunch will be served. Register here.
April 20
Women, Theater and the Holocaust
On April 20 at 7:30 p.m., Remember the Women Institute is hosting an evening of dramatic readings of plays and monologues about the Holocaust in partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and the National Jewish Theater Foundation. The in-person event will be at the JCC Manhattan and will coincide with the launch of the fifth edition of Remember the Women Institute’s “Women, Theater, and the Holocaust Resource Handbook.” Tickets from $10, register here.
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Amid Iran Standoff, Witkoff and Kushner Pose Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier
Steve Witkoff (R) aboard the aircraft carrier Lincoln. Photo via i24 / social media used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law
i24 News – Special US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited on Saturday the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
The duo, who led the US in the indirect nuclear talks with Iran on Friday, visited the aircraft carrier at the invitation of US Central Command chief, Adm. Brad Cooper.
The carrier arrived in the region last week as part of a US “armada” amid rising tensions with the Islamic regime of Iran. It is stationed in the Arabian Sea.
The visit came hours after US President Donald Trump stated that while the talks went well, “But I think Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly, as they should. Last time, they decided maybe not to do it, but I think they probably feel differently. We’ll see what the deal is. It’ll be different than last time. And we have a big armada. We have a big fleet heading in that direction. It’ll be there pretty soon. So we’ll see how that works out.”
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Pentagon Says It Will Cut Academic Ties With Harvard University
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives to administer the oath to U.S. Army National Guard soldiers during a re-enlistment ceremony at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Friday his department was ending professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University, marking the Trump administration’s latest escalation against the school.
President Donald Trump’s administration has cracked down on top US universities, including Harvard, over a range of issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza, diversity programs, transgender policies and climate initiatives.
“Starting now and beginning in the 2026-27 school year, I am discontinuing all graduate level Professional Military Education (PME), all fellowships and certificate programs between Harvard University and the War Department for active duty service members,” Hegseth, who himself holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, said on X.
The policy will apply to service members enrolling in future programs while those currently enrolled will be allowed to finish their courses, Hegseth said.
He also added that the Pentagon will evaluate similar relationships with other universities in the coming weeks.
Rights advocates have raised free speech, academic freedom and due process concerns over the government’s actions against universities.
A Harvard spokesperson directed Reuters to a page on the history of the university’s ties with the US military that says Harvard has played a “significant role” in America’s military traditions since the nation’s founding.
TRUMP-HARVARD TENSIONS CONTINUE
The university has previously sued the Trump administration over the government’s attempt to freeze federal funding.
Hegseth accused Harvard of “hate America activism,” also calling the university antisemitic in a reference to pro-Palestinian protests.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza with antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Harvard has condemned discrimination on campus. Its antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces found last year that Jews and Muslims faced bigotry after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.
Trump’s attempts to freeze federal funds for Harvard have faced legal resistance and the two sides have failed to reach a deal thus far.
Trump said this week his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies.
Some Ivy League schools have reached agreements with the Trump administration and accepted certain government demands. Columbia University has agreed to pay more than $220 million to the government while Brown University has agreed to pay $50 million to support local workforce development.
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Netanyahu Expected to Meet Trump in US on Wednesday and Discuss Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signs the joint declaration of mutual recognition with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi, officially establishing full diplomatic relations between the two nations. Photo: Screenshot
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, where they will discuss negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.
Iranian and US officials held indirect nuclear talks in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday. Both sides said more talks were expected to be held again soon.
A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran on the talks told Reuters Iran insisted on its “right to enrich uranium” during the negotiations with the US, and that Tehran’s missile capabilities were not raised in the discussions.
Iranian officials have ruled out putting Iran’s missiles – one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East – up for discussion, and have said Tehran wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium.
PRIME MINISTER SEEKS MISSILE CURBS
“The Prime Minister believes any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Wednesday’s meeting would be the seventh between Netanyahu and Trump since the US president returned to office in January last year.
The pair had been expected to meet on February 18, but the talks were brought forward amid the renewed engagement with Iran. A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately comment on why the date was moved up.
Last June, the US joined an Israeli military campaign against Iran’s uranium enrichment and other nuclear installations, marking the most direct American military action ever against the Islamic Republic.
Iran retaliated by launching a missile attack on a US base in Qatar.
The US and Israel have repeatedly warned Iran that they would strike again if Tehran pressed ahead with its enrichment and ballistic missile programs.
World powers and regional states fear a breakdown in the negotiations would ignite another conflict between the US and Iran that could spill over to the rest of the oil-producing region.
Iran has vowed a harsh response to any strike and has cautioned neighboring Gulf Arab countries that host US bases that they could be in the firing line if they were involved in an attack.