The 26th of Iyar is a new Jewish holiday, established in honor of the rescue of European Jewry from the threat of complete destruction in World War II.
May 9, 1945 fell on Iyar 26, 5705 according to the Hebrew calendar. That is why this date was chosen as the Day of Salvation and Liberation. On this day, commemorative events are held in synagogues around the world, prayers of thanks are offered to the Almighty, and conferences on the subject of World War II and the Holocaust are held. On 26 Iyar, Jews around the world are also sending words of gratitude to the war veterans who defeated Nazism and saved the Jews of Europe from complete destruction by the Nazis and their accomplices.
The purpose of the holiday is to preserve in generations the memory of the terrible events of World War II, of the heroism of the soldiers of the Red Army and the armies of the allied countries, and to prevent attempts to rewrite history.

German Zakharyaev (born July 7, 1971 in the village of Krasnaya Sloboda, District of Quba, Azerbaijan) is a Russian businessman and philanthropist, president of the STMEGI Foundation, Vice President of the Russian Jewish Congress.
Since 1992 German Zakharyaev has been engaged in entrepreneurial activity in Moscow. He graduated from Russian Academy of National Economy. PhD in Philosophy.
In 2001, German Zakharyaev created and headed the charitable public fund to support Mountain Jews STMEGI, which supports projects in the field of preserving the traditions and culture of Mountain Jews, socially significant initiatives and coordinating the work of other Mountain Jewish organizations. He was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship for his charitable activity.

Signed in May 2015 at the Congress of the Conference of the Rabbis of Europe
On 26 Iyar 5705 (May 9, 1945), the allied countries forced Nazi Germany to surrender. The back of the Nazi beast was broken. On the ruins of Europe, whose steaming ground was soaked in Jewish blood, it became possible to breathe freely. A new sun of the free world has risen to the sound of solemn marches of the victors, mingled with the cry of the mourners.
The day of the surrender of the Third Reich is celebrated all over the world as the date for the end of World War II. In the CIS countries and Israel, Victory Day is celebrated on May 8-9 according to the Gregorian calendar, state and commemorative ceremonies are held.
At the initiative of the outstanding representative of the people of Israel, Mr. German-Gavriel Zakharyaev, Vice-President of the Russian Jewish Congress and President of the International Charitable Fund STMEGI and with the blessing of prominent rabbis and members of the public, it was decided to celebrate the Day of Victory, Salvation and Liberation from the Nazis (may their name be erased) on 26th of Iyar, when the Jewish people began to rise from the ashes of the crematoria, a miracle of physical salvation appeared and the secret of spiritual salvation was revealed.
This holiday should be celebrated in the same way as Passover, when He brought us out of bondage to freedom, from mourning to the holiday, despite the death of many of the sons of Israel. For Holocaust survivors, this day became the day of liberation from the death camps, the day of their release from captivity to freedom, the day when the villains were punished deservedly by the allied countries.
Therefore, we can confidently say that on this day it is necessary to express gratitude to the Almighty for the fact that the villains could not completely destroy us, as they wanted, to remember the soldiers of the armies of the allied countries, in whose ranks five hundred thousand sons of Israel fought, two hundred thousand of whom laid down their heads in the fight against the Nazi enslaver, disappeared on European soil.
Therefore, after the eminent rabbis in our holy land approved this initiative, we join in their blessings and urge to celebrate the 26th Iyar every year with prayers and a little joy so that future generations will know about this event. If the 26th of Iyar falls on a Friday or Saturday, the celebration should be postponed to Thursday until Shabbat, so as not to violate its holiness and avoid actions that could lead to its desecration.
26 Iyar we will remember the ascent of the souls of millions of our brothers, headed by the greatest sages, Torah scholars tortured by the Nazis and their accomplices, as well as a quarter of a million Jewish soldiers who fought in the ranks of the armies of the Allied countries or in partisan detachments and died on the war fronts.
On this day, it is also important to open synagogues and to bring Torah scrolls to holy places to make up for the loss that was the death of a third of our people during the years of the Holocaust.
Blessing this noble initiative, we call on all our friends - rabbis and heads of Jewish communities in Europe - as well as the entire Jewish people to join this initiative.

Adopted by the Knesset of Israel on May 13, 2018
The purpose of this law is to establish an annually celebrated date in honor of the liberation and salvation of the Jewish people from the threat of total annihilation on the day of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany
Annually, on 26th of Iyar, Day of Salvation and Liberation from Nazi Germany will be celebrated (hereinafter: Day of Salvation and Liberation from Nazi Germany).
The government has the right to make the Day of Salvation and Liberation from Nazi Germany a holiday or a day off, or to set a holiday or day off a few days before or after 26th of Iyar.
The day of salvation and liberation from Nazi Germany will be celebrated in the square in front of the Western Wall, where a memorial ceremony will be held and prayers will be read in memory of Jewish soldiers who fought with the Nazis in the ranks of the armies of the Allied countries or in partisan detachments, in memory of the rebels in the ghetto as well as prayers of thanks for the salvation and liberation of the Jewish people from the Nazis. The Ministry of Religious Affairs is appointed responsible for the commemorative events.
The provisions of this Law do not contradict the Law on Victory Day over Nazi Germany of 2017.
The Minister for Religious Affairs is responsible for the implementation of this Law and has the right to adopt all necessary regulatory acts.