An Israeli flag waves as Israeli Air Force planes fly in formation over the Mediterranean Sea during an aerial show on Israel’s 74th Independence Day on May 5, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Amir Cohen

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism announced Monday the formation of a new committee that will focus on how Israel can honor the memory of non-Israeli Jews worldwide who have been murdered in antisemitic attacks abroad.

The launch of the committee is a result of the Israeli government’s adoption of “The Ruderman Roadmap,” which are guidelines provided by the Ruderman Family Foundation that center on Israel-Diaspora relations and the Jewish state’s approach toward commemorating non-Israeli Jews who were victims of antisemitism around the world.

Israel will formally recognize those who were killed in antisemitic attacks in the Diaspora and the new committee will submit its conclusions and recommendations to the Minister of Diaspora Affairs before Sept. 1, 2023. The Israeli government also expressed its desire to strengthen the connection between the State of Israel and its citizens with Diaspora Jews.

“This is a historic day for the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” said Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation on Monday. “With this decision, the State of Israel has proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is the state of the Jewish people, and that only through our unity as a people and through the mutual guarantee between us can we guarantee our security and prosperity.”

Israel’s annual observance of Yom Hazikaron commemorates “the heroic deeds of the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces who gave their lives to ensure the existence of the State of Israel, and for the fighters of the Israel Defense Forces who fell in the struggle for the rebirth of Israel.” The government expanded Yom Hazikaron in 1998 to also commemorate Israeli victims of terrorism but the Foundation’s roadmap explains that the State of Israel “should have a defined policy for marking, observing, or conducting any state-sponsored act of solidarity with the memory of those who fell victim to antisemitic acts in the Diaspora for belonging to the Jewish people.”

“We appreciate the commitment of Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli to promote this initiative,” Ruderman said. “The Ruderman Family Foundation will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen the State of Israel’s relationship with American Jewry and with the entire Diaspora.”