The Jerusalem Post: Armenian Genocide and Holocaust Remembrance Day: A moment of shared remembrance that should heal and unite
This April 24 marks a rare and powerful moment: for the first time in years, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day coincides with the day internationally commemorating the Armenian genocide of 1915. The overlap is more than symbolic. It offers Jews and Armenians a profound opportunity to recognize their shared history of suffering, survival, and the long struggle for justice and recognition, The Jerusalem Post writes.
As noted, April 24 marks the Armenian genocide, when in 1915 the Ottoman Empire began a campaign of mass deportations and slaughter against its Armenian population. Over 1 million Armenians likely perished, and the vast majority of the survivors were exiled from their ancestral lands.
The publication states that the Armenian Genocide remains unrecognized by quite a few governments to this day – including, notably and shamefully, Israel.
“Armenians and Jews are not only survivors of genocide; they are resilient diasporas, small nations that have forged identities shaped by faith and memory, and contributed meaningfully to global culture, science, and innovation,” the website writes, adding that both peoples have faced denial and erasure, but both have learned the difficult lesson that the world’s conscience cannot always be counted on.
Armenia last year recognized the State of Palestine — a move that some in Israel viewed as hostile.
“But framing Armenia’s decision as an anti-Israel gesture misses the point. Armenia’s foreign policy has long emphasized support for self-determination and international law, including similar recognitions of Kosovo and South Sudan. It was not an act of enmity, but of principle,” the website writes, adding that Israel’s failure to recognize the Armenian genocide has long disappointed Armenians. Turkey’s influence, and the strategic importance of Azerbaijan, have led successive Israeli governments to prioritize political and economic interests over moral clarity.
“April 24 is a chance not just to grieve, but to remember together, to heal together, and to build together,” reads the publication.
