Project Kesher Israel Observes Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, as Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, PKI participants are gathering in person once again. In the first days following a tenuous ceasefire, they reunite to remember, reflect, and support one another.

For many in our community, the themes of the Shoah—memory, vulnerability, and survival—are deeply personal, shaped by family histories. At the same time, as LGBTQ+ immigrants from Russia, many of PKI’s participants also feel a painful connection between that past and the present-day persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals by the authorities at home.

These gatherings hold profound meaning beyond commemoration. They create vital space for participants to share their memories, trauma, identity, and fears, finding strength in community. In Haifa, members of our LGBTQ+ group took part in a “Zikaron BaSalon” gathering, where they heard from Nahum Leiderman, who shared his family’s Holocaust history (which he himself only learned after immigrating from then USSR to Israel in the 1970s). For many, this was their first experience in such an intimate format, leaving a deep and lasting impact.

Additional remembrance gatherings are taking place in Be’er Sheva, Bat Yam, and Ramat Gan. At this moment shaped by war, migration, and ongoing uncertainty, these connections help restore a sense of belonging, resilience, and human dignity, ensuring that memory is not only preserved, but carried forward together.