Israeli President Herzog Leads Ceremony Honoring 1941 Iași Pogrom Victims in Romania

On June 28, 2026, a solemn reburial ceremony was held in Iași, Romania, marking 85 years since the 1941 pogrom in which approximately 15,000 Jews were murdered. Among those reburied were the recently discovered remains of 22 victims. The event took place in the presence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who delivered a poignant speech commemorating the victims and reflecting on the enduring legacy of antisemitism in Europe.

The Iași pogrom occurred between June 28 and July 6, 1941, during which Jews were subjected to brutal violence, forced into ghettos, and many were deported in death trains where numerous victims died from suffocation and dehydration. Herzog emphasized the moral stain left by these atrocities and the silence that allowed such cruelty to unfold in a city that had been a vibrant center of Jewish life for centuries.

The ceremony began with the recitation of Kaddish by Rabbi Rafael Shafir, Chief Rabbi of Romanian Jewry, followed by Herzog’s address. He underscored the shared commitment of Israel and Romania to preserving Holocaust memory and Jewish history. Herzog highlighted the contribution of Romanian Jews to the founding and development of Israel, noting that early settlements like Rosh Pina were established by Romanian Jewish pioneers.

President Herzog also warned of the resurgence of antisemitism across Europe, describing it as a dangerous threat not only to Jews but to all people of goodwill. He called for active recognition and resistance against this menace, urging that the memory of Iași serve as a moral lesson. Herzog recalled that decades before the pogrom, the first version of Israel’s national anthem, "Hatikvah," was written in Iași by Naftali Herz Imber, symbolizing hope amid tragedy.

The event reinforced the importance of education and remembrance to prevent history from fading into passive memory, ensuring that future generations understand the horrors of the past and the need to combat hatred wherever it arises.