April 20, 2026
1:30pm ET
About the Ceremony
The Joint Memorial Day Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum, is one of the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace events in history. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony occurs yearly on the eve of Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). In Israeli mainstream culture, the ceremonies that are most often held to honor this day serve to reinforce cultural narratives of pain, victimhood, and hopelessness. The Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis to mourn side by side and model another way forward.
History & Impact
By mourning together each year, we increasingly shift public opinion on a massive scale. Since the first Joint Memorial ceremony in 2006, which had less than 100 attendees, the number of people who have participated has grown tremendously. In 2023, over 15,000 Israelis and Palestinians attended the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony in person in Tel Aviv, while hundreds of thousands of people around the world joined online. In 2024, in the wake of the devastating events of October 7, 2023, and the immense suffering and bloodshed that followed, the ceremony continued in a private, undisclosed location with groups watching remotely throughout Israel, Palestine, and in over 200 venues abroad. The ceremony took on even greater significance as it brought together people from both societies and across the globe, united both in grief and in the commitment to a future of shared peace, justice, and safety for all. Throughout the years, participating guests have included leading intellectuals and artists such as Desmond Tutu, Tushar Gandhi, Mubarak Awad, Richard Gere, Achinoam Nini (Noa), Mira Awad, Eliezer Yaari, Dr. Amal Abu Said, David Grossman, and many others.
2026 Ceremony
On April 20, 2026, at 1:30 pm ET / 10:30 am PT, we will come together for the 21st Israeli–Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony - a shared act of remembrance that refuses the belief that war, bloodshed, dehumanization, and conflict must define our future. Together, we will show that there is another way - and that despite it all, hope is still alive.
For more than two decades, this ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle – Families Forum, has brought together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in the conflict. Many of whom have lost their loved ones in the past 2.5 years. Their testimonies remind us that grief is not confined to one side, but is lived across deeply different realities - and that acknowledging one another’s pain and humanity is a necessary step toward a different future. Even while war, death, and injustice engulf us, we must imagine and build the reality that comes after - a day beyond violence and pain, beyond occupation, and beyond the belief that our lives must remain trapped in this cycle.
The ceremony will take place in Israel, with a simultaneous event in Palestine, and will be broadcast live to a global community of people choosing to remember together and refuse the logic of endless war. Smaller screenings will also take place across Israel, alongside satellite events around the world - from London to Berlin, New York to Stockholm - where communities will gather locally to mark the day together. Visit our website to find a community near you and learn how to join. This ceremony only exists because people choose to make it possible. It is funded entirely by individuals who reject separation and violence and believe that remembering together is not only an act of grief, but an act of defiance of the status quo. Your support allows this ceremony to take place safely, reach communities across Israel and Palestine and around the world, and bring together people who believe in humanity, hope, and peace for all.
Support us in building a future beyond violence and war - because We are the Day After.
