On May 8, 2026, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Asman, published an address for the Day of Remembrance of the Victims and Victory in World War II. In his words, this date does not sound like a formal historical ritual, but as a living moral reference point — especially for Ukraine, Israel, and the Jewish people.
It is a day of mourning and gratitude at the same time.
Mourning — because Nazi evil destroyed millions of people, broke families, cities, communities, and entire generations. For Jews, May 8 holds special significance: six million Jews were killed just for being Jewish.
Gratitude — because victory over Nazism became possible at the cost of the enormous sacrifice of the peoples of the anti-Hitler coalition.
May 8: a memory that should not become an empty date
Moshe Asman reminded that on May 8, the world saw: even very strong evil is not eternal. Nazi Germany capitulated, and the ideology that wanted to erase humanity itself was defeated.
But this victory did not come by itself.
Behind it stood armies, peoples, families, soldiers, underground fighters, prisoners, rescuers, the dead, and the survivors. Behind it stood millions of fates, many of which were never fully told.
For the Israeli audience, this emphasis is especially important. Israel lives with the memory of the Holocaust not as a distant page of the past, but as part of national consciousness, security, and responsibility to future generations.
Jewish memory and the Ukrainian context
In the address of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, an important thought was expressed: the memory of World War II cannot be separated from the real contribution of those who fought against Nazism.
Ukraine made a huge contribution to this struggle. About 7 million Ukrainians fought against Nazism, and without this sacrifice, the victory over the Third Reich would have looked different.
The contribution of the Jewish people was also significant. More than a million Jews served in the armies of the allies: in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Poland, the Red Army, and other forces that fought against Nazi Germany.
It is fundamentally important to remind today when different forces try to privatize victory, erase Ukraine’s contribution, obscure Jewish participation, and appoint themselves as the sole ‘right holders’ of historical memory.
Victory over Nazism does not belong to one state, one regime, or one political mythology. It was paid for with the blood of many peoples.
Why Moshe Asman’s words sound especially poignant in 2026
Today, Ukraine and Israel are once again living through a difficult war. Both societies know what missile strikes, funerals, anxiety, mobilization, and the struggle for the right to live without the dictate of terror and violence mean.
That is why Moshe Asman’s words about the ‘axis of evil’ sound not like a metaphor, but as a political and spiritual assessment of the time.
Ukraine is resisting Russian aggression. Israel continues to live under the threat of terrorist structures and their patrons. Iran remains an enemy of both Ukraine and Israel because its technologies, ideology, and allies work to strengthen war, pressure, and fear.
In such a context, the memory of victory over Nazism becomes not an archival topic, but a matter of today’s resilience.
NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency draws attention to this very meaning: on May 8, it is important not only to remember the past but also to understand how historical memory helps society recognize evil in the present — without substitutions, without foreign propaganda, and without attempts to rewrite the contribution of Ukraine and Jews to victory.
Evil can be strong, but that does not mean it will win
One of the key phrases in Moshe Asman’s address is the thought that evil can be strong and enduring, but it will not always be so.
This is not a comforting formula for a beautiful speech. It is a conclusion from history.
Nazi Germany also seemed powerful. Its army captured countries, its propaganda instilled fear, its ideology claimed eternity. But in the end, this system was broken.
For Ukraine, this thought today sounds like a reminder of the cost of resistance. For Israel — as a reminder of the need to stand against those who once again dream of destroying Jews, states, and the freedom of other peoples.
The memory of World War II should not turn into a decoration for parades or slogans. It requires honesty.
Ukraine, Israel, and the Jewish people: a common line of memory
In the words of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, there is an important bridge between the past and the present. He speaks not only of the dead but also of the living — of those who today must withstand a new historical test.
For the Jewish people, the memory of six million killed is not just a tragedy of the past. It is a warning that hatred, if not stopped in time, turns into a system of destruction.
For Ukraine, the memory of World War II is also a memory of the land that became one of the main battlefields, of cities, villages, Babi Yar, the front, occupation, resistance, and millions of people who went through the catastrophe.
Today, these meanings converge again.
Ukraine and Israel experience war differently, but both countries understand: evil rarely comes into the world with an honest name. It hides behind history, religion, ‘protection’, ‘security’, ‘tradition’, or ‘justice’. That is why memory must be precise.
Prayer for Ukraine and Israel
Moshe Asman concluded the address with words about the blessed memory of all the dead and a request to the Almighty to give Ukraine and Israel the strength to withstand and defeat the darkness in our time.
This is a strong formula for May 8, 2026.
Because it is not only about the past. It is about the right of peoples to live, remember, defend themselves, and not allow new aggressors to appropriate someone else’s sacrifice, someone else’s victory, and someone else’s history.
May the memory of the dead be blessed.
And may Ukraine and Israel find the strength to go through this time so that future generations can also say: evil was strong, but it did not become eternal.