Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial plans day of remembrance for October 7

Miami-Dade County admin October 5, 2026 0 Comments

Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial plans day of remembrance for October 7

For decades, the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach has been a formal place of remembrance for the six million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust.

This year, on the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks on Israel, the Memorial is inviting the South Florida community to honor the lives lost through a day of commemorative activities and reflection.

“This is the day where the largest number of Jewish people were targeted and murdered since the Holocaust,” said Sheri Zvi, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. “The memorial wants to be a place for the community to come to remember, to have difficult conversations, but also to grow and expand and connect.”

October 7 marks three years since about 1,200 Israelis were killed and another 250 were taken hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas. That dark day was felt by Jews all around the world, especially those in South Florida with connections to Israel, reshaping Jewish life for many.

The day-long event, “Remembering October 7th,” will include a reading of the names of those who were killed in the attacks, a candle-lighting ceremony and special programming at the new Education Center. The day aims to bring the community together to mourn those who were lost while gaining a deeper understanding of that deadly day in history, said Zvi.

The education center will be showing films on October 7, including one that offers a VR experience of survivors, and hosting a handful of Holocaust survivors who will be speaking throughout the day. One panel discussion will feature Holocaust survivor Saul Blau and a survivor of the Nova Music Festival.

Two years after the deadly attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, the Holocaust Memorial engraved the names of the 1,200 murdered in the Hamas attacks in Hebrew and English — the first place in the world to do so.

The granite panels now sit beside the engraved names of the six million Jews who perished in Europe during the Holocaust. It’s a visual reminder that Jewish suffering has not ended with the Holocaust, said Zvi.

“This draws a direct line from the Holocaust to October 7 and the contemporary antisemitism that we’re seeing rising throughout the world,” Zvi said.

Since that dark day, antisemitism around the world has reached historic highs, leading to the vast majority of American Jews feeling less safe due to incidents involving violence, harassment and vandalism of Jewish institutions, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s most recent report on antisemitism in 2025.

Every Jewish person has a story about where they were when they heard the news on October 7, but Holocaust survivors are among those who were most impacted by the news.

“This triggered them tremendously,” said Zvi. ”Because their lives have been spent saying never again and trying to educate future generations, and to see something like this happen in their lifetime was massive and so traumatic.”

As Holocaust survivors decline, so do opportunities to hear their stories firsthand — an element of the Memorial that visitors often say is the most impactful, Zvi said.

“To sit with a Holocaust survivor and speak with them is something that time after time our visitors have shared have been life-changing moments,” she said. “And our hope is that on October 7, we can do the same.”

IF YOU GO:

What: Remembering October 7th

When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7

WHERE: Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, 1933 -1945 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach

COST: Free

INFORMATION: holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.