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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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‘For As Long As Necessary’: Katz Says Campaign Against Iran Entering Decisive Stage
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias make statements to the press, at the Ministry of Defense in Athens Greece, Jan. 20, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
i24 News – Israel Katz said Saturday that the confrontation with Iran had entered a “decisive phase,” as US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets continued and regional tensions escalated.
Speaking after a security assessment at Israel’s defense headquarters alongside Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and senior military and intelligence officials, the Israeli defense minister said the campaign against the Islamic Republic would continue “for as long as necessary.”
“The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is intensifying and entering its decisive phase,” Katz said.
Katz also praised US strikes on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil hub, describing them as a “severe blow” to the Iranian regime. He said the attacks were an appropriate response to Iranian threats against the strategic Strait of Hormuz and to what he called Tehran’s attempts to pressure the international community.
At the same time, Katz said the Israeli Air Force was continuing a “powerful wave of attacks” against targets in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
He accused the Iranian leadership of using “regional and global terrorism” and strategic blackmail in an effort to deter Israel and the United States from pursuing their military campaign, warning that such actions would be met with a “strong and uncompromising response.”
Katz added that the outcome of the conflict would ultimately depend on the Iranian population. “Only the Iranian people can put an end to this situation through a determined struggle, until the overthrow of the terrorist regime and the salvation of Iran,” he said.
According to the minister, the confrontation now pits the Iranian regime’s determination to survive against growing military pressure from Israel and its allies.
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Trump Rejects Efforts to Launch Iran Ceasefire Talks, Sources Say
US President Donald Trump speaks on the day he honors reigning Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Inter Miami CF players and team officials with an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 5, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to three sources familiar with the efforts.
Iran, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries had been trying to mediate an end to the conflict.
The lack of interest from Washington and Tehran suggests both sides are digging in for an extended conflict, even as the widening war inflicts civilian casualties and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz sends oil prices soaring.
US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, on Friday night underscored Trump’s determination to press ahead with his military assault. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and threatened to step up attacks on neighboring countries.
The war has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and created the biggest-ever oil supply disruption as maritime traffic has halted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
ATTEMPTS TO OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION
Oman, which mediated talks before the war, has tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House has made clear it is not interested, according to two sources, who like others in this story were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about diplomatic matters.
A senior White House official confirmed Trump has rebuffed those efforts to start talks and is focused on pressing ahead with the war to further weaken Tehran’s military capabilities.
“He’s not interested in that right now, and we’re going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there’s a day, but not right now,” the official said.
During the first week of the war, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s leadership and military were so battered by US-Israeli strikes that they wanted to talk, but that it was “Too Late!” He has a history of shifting foreign policy stances without warning, making it hard to rule out that he might test the waters for restarting diplomacy.
“President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” a second senior White House official said when asked to comment on this story.
The Iranian sources said Tehran has rejected efforts by several countries to negotiate a ceasefire until the US and Israel end their airstrikes and meet Iran’s demands, which include a permanent end to US and Israeli attacks and compensation as part of a ceasefire.
Egypt, which was involved in mediation before the war, has also tried to reopen communications, according to three security and diplomatic sources. While the efforts do not appear to have made progress, they have secured some military restraint from neighboring countries hit by Iran, according to one of the sources.
Egypt’s foreign ministry, the government of Oman and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment.
POSITIONS HARDEN ON ALL SIDES
The war’s impact on global oil markets has significantly increased the cost for the United States.
Some US officials and advisers to Trump urge a quick end to the war, warning that surging gasoline prices could exact a high political price from the president’s Republican Party, with US midterm elections looming.
Others are pressing Trump to maintain the offensive against the Islamic Republic to destroy its missile program and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters reporting.
Trump’s rejection of diplomatic efforts could indicate that, for now, the administration has no plans for a quick end to the war.
Indeed, both the United States and Iran appear even less willing to engage than during the opening days of the war, when senior US officials reached out to Oman to discuss de-escalating, according to several sources.
One source said Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had also sought to use Oman as a conduit for ceasefire discussions that would have involved U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
But those discussions have not materialized.
Instead, Iran’s position has hardened, said a third senior Iranian source.
“Whatever was communicated previously through the diplomatic channels is irrelevant now,” said the source.
“The Guards strongly believe that if they lose control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will lose the war,” the source added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite paramilitary force that controls large parts of the economy.
“Therefore, the Guards will not accept any ceasefire, ceasefire talks, or diplomatic efforts, and Iran’s political leaders will not engage in such talks despite attempts by several countries.”
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US Strikes More Than 90 Iranian Military Targets on Kharg Island, CENTCOM Says
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.
“US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” CENTCOM said.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.