Eighty-three years after the Holocaust began, 127,178 Holocaust survivors are living today in Israel, according to data released today by the Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority. That data was released to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Older Persons, which is marked on October 1.
Every year sees fewer Holocaust survivors. This year, about 20,000 Israeli Holocaust survivors died. But this year also saw unexpected tragedies befall survivors: 86 survivors were evacuated from their homes and one elderly victim of antisemitic violence in 1940s Iraq, Shlomo Mansour, has been held hostage in Gaza since October 7. (The Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority also serves survivors of Nazi-inspired terror outside of Europe such as the Farhud, a pogrom which took place in Iraq in 1941.)
“On the International Day of Older Persons and every day of the year, we remember and cherish the Holocaust survivors, our founding generation, the strong spirits and resilience of whom allowed us to achieve our national home in our land,” Ronit Rozin, director of the Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority, also commemorated the International Day of Older Persons, said. “Their contributions to shaping the image of the state in its first years guide us, and we are working so that every Holocaust survivor can live in dignity with answers to their needs in their old age.”
According to the data released by the authority, the average age of an Israeli survivor is 87. The oldest survivor, a 119-year-old woman, moved to Israel from Iraq. The youngest survivors are 78, born during the last year of World War II. Around six out of every 10 survivors are women, and the remainder are men.
Of the 127,000 or so survivors, about 25% came to Israel from the former Soviet Union, 17% from Morocco, 11% from Romania, and 11% from Iraq. Another 7% moved to Israel from Ukraine after the Soviet Union fell.
Thirty-five survivors moved to Israel in 2024 so far. Around 2,100 came to Israel before the state’s founding in 1948, and a wave of 29,904 came in the 1990s. The cities with the highest population of survivors are Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, and Netanya.
Lawmaker Uri Maklev of the United Torah Judaism party noted how challenging the past year has been for survivors. “This was a difficult year for everyone, and in particular for Holocaust survivors in their 90s and 100s, who are naturally weak and routinely face difficulties,” he said. “Many of them experienced difficulties coping and tension during the past year. The sights of the past year reminded them of the past in the most difficult way. Workers at the Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority worked exceptionally, down to every last individual survivor. They were in touch with everyone, mapping the needs that arose and answering them.”
This article was translated from Hebrew and edited for context by Leah Schwartz.
