Held at the Forest of the Martyrs—located in the Jerusalem hills near Moshav Kesalon—the ceremony took place at the world’s largest Holocaust memorial and the most significant joint project between B’nai B’rith and KKL-JNF. The forest is home to six million trees, each planted in memory of a Holocaust victim. At its highest point stands the “Scroll of Fire,” a powerful sculpture by Nathan Rapoport representing the destruction of European Jewry and the spiritual rebirth of the Jewish people in the State of Israel.

Among the speakers were U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee; Hungarian Ambassador to Israel H.E. Zoltán Szentgyörgyi; Sar-Shalom Jerbi, Head of the Education and Community Division at KKL-JNF; Dr. Haim Katz, Chairman of the B’nai B’rith World Center; Brigadier General Barak Mordechai, Commander of the Border Police Training Base; and Luis Har, who was recently freed after being held hostage in Gaza.

During the ceremony, the “Jewish Rescuers Citation” was awarded posthumously to 14 individuals who rescued Jews in France, Hungary, Libya, the Netherlands, and Poland. Since its inception in 2011 by the B’nai B’rith World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust, the Citation has recognized 658 individuals. It aims to correct the widespread misconception that Jews did not aid one another during the Holocaust, instead highlighting a legacy of mutual rescue across Europe and North Africa.

Jewish rescuers acted with extraordinary courage across Nazi- and Axis-occupied territories, including Germany, Slovakia, Greece, Russia, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Austria, Belarus, Italy, Morocco, Algeria, Hungary, Denmark, Czechia, Lithuania, and Belgium. Many had the option to flee or hide but chose instead to assist others—often at great personal risk. Their actions, whether through forgery, smuggling, concealment, or subterfuge, stood in defiance of the Nazi regime’s genocidal plan.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee addressed the attendees: “I do not understand anti-Semitism or the hatred that history has inflicted upon the Jewish people. The animosity toward them makes no sense; it is irrational, baseless, and directed at those who have done no wrong. The only explanation is that, from the time God chose the Jewish people and this land, they have represented His love for the world and His presence on this planet. Those who hate Him naturally direct their hatred toward those who most clearly represent Him. I come today not as a Jew, but as one who believes in the book, and I believe that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. I come to bring blessing, and I stand not behind you, but with you—because you are everything we hope the world will be.”

Mira Zer, mother or Kfir Zer who was severely wounded in the Iron Swords War, said at the ceremony: " “In the heart of the KKL-JNF’s Forest of the Martyrs, where six million trees have been planted in memory of the six million who perished, we are not only mourning — we are adding life into memory. Like every tree in this forest that tells a story of continuity, so too is the story of my son, Kfir — a tank commander who was critically wounded and reborn thanks to a lung donation — a living testament to human strength, to a spirit that does not surrender, to the ability of an entire people to rise from the inferno and choose life. This is a story of profound pain — but also of stubborn hope, of faith, of unity. Because our true victory is to go on living — not only for ourselves, but also for those who are no longer with us.”

Dr. Haim Katz, Chairman of the B’nai B’rith World Center, added: "The Jewish Rescuer's Citation, presented annually, honors the brave Jews who saved fellow Jews during the Holocaust. Now in its 23rd year, this important ceremony, held in collaboration with KKL-JNF, pays tribute to their heroic acts and preserves their legacy. The Citation is a joint initiative of the B’nai B’rith World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust."