9 May 2026. The world spent the day talking about the grand event and parade that takes place annually in Moscow. Few told and even know that the anniversary was also celebrated in the Jewish state. In both cases, it is an official day of commemoration acknowledging the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.
Israel hosts the largest and most extensive Victory Day celebrations outside the former Soviet Union. It includes memorial ceremonies, wreath-layings at memorials like the one for the Leningrad siege, and educational activities. The commemorations are especially notable in Haifa and Jerusalem, where veterans reside, uniting the memory of World War II with Israeli identity. Grand parades and official ceremonies are led by veterans who proudly display their Soviet medals, highlighting the role of Jews in the Red Army. Founded by Leon Bronstein, the Red Army included approximately 500,000 Jewish soldiers.
Inaugurated fifteen years ago, with Vladimir Putin in attendance, the National Monument to the Victory of the Red Army in Netanya is the main central landmark, symbolizing the transition from the darkness of the Holocaust to the light of victory. Many other memorials dedicated to Jewish soldiers who fought in World War II exist in various Israeli cities.
Victory Day, May 8th or 9th?
1945. While most Western allies celebrated VE Day (Victory in Europe) on May 8th, the final surrender documents were signed late in the evening on May 8, which was already after midnight (May 9) in Moscow. For this reason, Russia chose a different date. It is officially celebrated on May 9th reflecting the date when the German surrender took effect in Moscow time, aligned with former Soviet tradition.
Also in Israel the holiday was established for May 9 following efforts by Israeli legislators and immigrants from the former Soviet Union to honor the Jewish soldiers who fought in Allied armies, including 500,000 who fought in the Red Army. An influential community of 1.5 million Russian speakers lives in the Jewish state and this factor always has a lot of weight in the democratic Israeli homeland.
Moscow, 2026 event
Today, Israel was one of the nations invited by the Kremlin to attend the Victory Day event celebrated today in Moscow, unlike several Western countries considered "hostile" such as the US, UK, and France, which were excluded from the guest list for this year's parade. Unable to attend because Israel is fighting a regional war on several fronts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked the Israeli Ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin, with attending the event, along with six Holocaust veterans who traveled from Israel to participate in the ceremonies.
