The commemorative event was attended by representatives of the Estonian Jewish community, representatives of the Estonian government (Ministry of Culture) and diplomats from several countries. Ambassador David Král was present on behalf of the Czech Republic. Other participants included diplomats from Poland, Germany and the United States. They all paid tribute to the victims by laying wreaths in their national colours.

The event was a reminder of the tragic events of the Holocaust, when the transport, originally bound for Riga, was eventually redirected to Estonia due to overcrowding in the camps there. Kalevi-Liiva, a site 30 km from Tallinn, became the scene of mass executions during 1942-1943, of which only a handful survived the war. Between three and six thousand people were executed in the Kalevi-Liiva area during this period, including 800 people from the Terezín transport.