Israeli Leaders Warn During Yom HaShoah Ceremonies: ‘Never Again’ Includes Today’s Antisemitism
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli FM Sa’ar vowed ‘never again’; President Herzog appealed for national unity; and PM Netanyahu pledged to destroy Hamas
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a ceremony on Wednesday evening honoring the Righteous Among the Nations—diplomats who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust—as part of Yom HaShoah commemorations.
Over 80 ambassadors and heads of foreign missions gathered in Jerusalem alongside senior Israeli officials for the event, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, President Isaac Herzog, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering addresses that linked past tragedies to present-day challenges.
In his speech at the memorial wall at the Foreign Ministry, where the names of 49 diplomats are etched in stone—a tribute to their courage in the face of Nazi persecution, Foreign Minister Sa’ar invoked the helplessness of European Jewry during the Holocaust to issue a call of Israel’s right to self-defense in the face of rising antisemitism.
“Millions of Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust cried out for help, but there was no one to come to their rescue,” he said. “We will not allow the new antisemites to rob us of our right to self-defense. Never again.”
Herzog, speaking earlier at the Yad Vashem memorial, echoed those sentiments while urging national unity amid modern political turmoil. He recounted meeting Holocaust survivors at the President’s Residence and reflected on their recurring plea: unity above all.
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“In a heart-piercing cry, they finish: ‘Mr. President… bring unity among our people,’” Herzog said. “Let us transform these days… into a historic moment of national responsibility. Let us lower the flames. Let us mend our hearts.”
The ceremony also spotlighted historical acts of heroism. Swiss Ambassador Simon Geissbühler paid tribute to Carl Lutz, a fellow Swiss diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary by issuing protective letters. Sa’ar named other notable diplomats whose names are now enshrined in the Ministry’s memorial: Ángel Sanz Briz of Spain, Aristides de Sousa Mendes of Portugal, and Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz of Germany—all of whom defied their governments to save lives.
Herzog also drew a direct line between past and present, referencing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, which he called “the greatest massacre our people have endured since the Holocaust.”
“Nothing can compare to the Holocaust… but we cannot hear the terrifying testimonies from October 7 or see the hostages in Gaza and not be shaken by echoes of that catastrophe,” he said. “If we were able to rise from the darkest abyss in human history, we will always succeed. Always… There is only one condition. One alone: we must do it together.”
Later at the official state ceremony in Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened Hamas to Nazi Germany and vowed to continue military pressure until the group’s capabilities are destroyed.
“Indeed, they are exactly like the Nazis, just like Hitler,” Netanyahu said. “They wish to kill and destroy all of the Jews, and they openly declare their intention to destroy the state of the Jews. They say so out loud, but it’s not going to happen. We are determined to annihilate the monsters of Hamas, these monsters who committed the worst massacre that we’ve experienced since the Holocaust.”
Netanyahu cited last spring’s operation in Rafah as proof that Israel would not allow external pressure to limit its actions. “Exactly a year ago, I stood in this very same place, and I spoke adamantly against those elements in the international community who sought to tie our hands. … No one will prevent us from defending ourselves. If we need to stand alone, we shall stand alone.”
He pledged: “The military pressure on Hamas will continue. We will destroy all of its capabilities. We will return all our hostages. We will defeat Hamas. And we will prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. If Israel, heaven forbid, were to fail in this campaign, the Western states would be next in line… But Israel will not lose. Israel will not capitulate.”
