Global leaders and celebrities unite for Chanukah event honouring Holocaust survivors
Virtual International Holocaust Survivors Night brings together figures from 17 countries amid renewed focus on resilience
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) will host its annual International Holocaust Survivors Night on Thursday, marking the fifth night of Chanukah with a global virtual event celebrating the resilience of Holocaust survivors.
The programme, which was recorded before the recent antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, will take place on 18 December at 7pm GMT and will bring together Holocaust survivors, senior political figures and high-profile cultural voices from 17 countries.
This year’s event will be hosted by actor and director Noah Emmerich, alongside Claims Conference executive vice-president Greg Schneider, and will centre on the theme of “Resilience”.
Celebrity messages will be delivered by Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Julianna Margulies, Mayim Bialik, Tovah Feldshuh and Montana Tucker, among others. Musical performances will be given by Barry Manilow and Jewish a cappella group Six13, with singer Shulem Lemmer also appearing.
The programme will also feature a pre-recorded Chanukah message from the late Rob Reiner, recorded shortly before his death.
Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference, said: “This Chanukah, as we honour the extraordinary resilience of Holocaust survivors, we recognise that their lives continue to provide a living example to the world. Their courage to rebuild, remember and retell the lessons of the Holocaust is a profound gift.”
Greg Schneider, executive vice-president of the Claims Conference, said: “Holocaust survivors have shown the world what it means to transform suffering into purpose. Their resilience has not only rebuilt families and communities, but it has also strengthened humanity itself. Through their testimony, their advocacy and their unwavering commitment to truth, they continue to teach us what moral courage looks like. As we honour them, we also recognise our responsibility to ensure that Holocaust education endures so that the lessons they fought to preserve are never forgotten.”
Senior political figures participating include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil, and senior US officials responsible for Holocaust restitution and combating antisemitism, including Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat and Ellen Germain.
Merz said: “The Holocaust is a part of German history that can never be considered ‘in the past’. It remains a perpetual responsibility for all of us. As the Federal Government, we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that Jewish men and women can live without fear.”
Central to the event are messages from Holocaust survivors across the world, including Abe Foxman, former national director of the Anti-Defamation League; Ambassador Colette Avital, chair of Israel’s Centre of Organisations of Holocaust Survivors; Max Arpels Lezer of the World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants; and Ella Blumenthal, a 104-year-old survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen now living in South Africa.
The programme will also include a concert featuring music originally arranged by László Roth, a 105-year-old Auschwitz survivor and conductor, as well as a candle-lighting ceremony at Yad Vashem led by Holocaust survivors.
International Holocaust Survivors Night was launched nearly a decade ago and is the only global event dedicated specifically to honouring Holocaust survivors. Originally held in Israel, Germany and the United States, it has since evolved into a virtual gathering reaching participants across six continents.
The event is free to attend and will be streamed online here.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
