Canadians Commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day - Jan. 27

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CIJA
|January 20, 2025

#WeRemember Six Million Jews Murdered in Holocaust

Ottawa, ON – January 20, 2025 – On Monday, January 27, 2025, Canadian Jews will stand united with a global movement to remember the six million Jewish children, women, and men murdered in the Holocaust. This commemoration is part of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, which, this year, marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We also remember, with gratitude, the Righteous Among the Nations for their courage and heroism.

As the Canadian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is proud to join the WJC in what will be the largest global Holocaust commemoration in history – the tenth annual #WeRemember campaign calling on us all never to forget the victims and Survivors of the Holocaust.

From January 20 to 27, Canadians across the country are encouraged to upload pictures of themselves holding “We Remember” signs and to post them to social media using the hashtag #WeRemember and tagging @cijainfo and @worldjewishcongress. Many of these images from around the world will later be projected on a screen at the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

As part of the campaign, on the evening of January 27, public venues across Canada, including monuments, city halls, provincial legislatures, bridges, and community centres, will be illuminated in yellow in remembrance of those murdered in the Holocaust. A full list of monuments to be illuminated across the country can be found here.

For more information about the #WeRemember campaign and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, visit cija.ca/weremember.

QUOTES

Noah Shack, Interim President, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs:

“As this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, I reflect on how the past and present collide.

“At that concentration camp, where more than 1.1 million innocent lives were taken, the warehouses used to store valuables stolen from Jews and others murdered by the Nazis were nicknamed “Kanada.” That’s because, to the prisoners, Canada symbolized a distant land of hope – a place where anyone could live a prosperous and fulfilling life.

“Sadly, 80 years later, this promise of Canada – which once offered hope to those who faced certain death – is under threat. Over the past 15 months, Jewish schools have been shot at, synagogues firebombed, and Jewish-owned businesses attacked.

“On this day, as we remember the six million Jews murdered in Europe, we also call on our leaders and fellow Canadians to move beyond words to actions to rebuild the country that has long been the envy of the world. This is not just about the Jewish community; it is about Canada.”

Pinchas Gutter, Holocaust Survivor, 2024 Order of Canada recipient for his decades of work in Holocaust education among diverse communities, and Co-President of the Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants (CJHSD):

“Canada was our paradise when we arrived here after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust. During humanity’s darkest days, we had witnessed our loved ones brutalized, traumatized, and murdered. It seemed then that the world stood with us as we recited “Never Again” at the memorial for six million souls. Canada welcomed us and so many others, treating each of us with respect.

“Now, after Hamas’ murderous attack on October 7, antisemitism has skyrocketed in this country and across the Western world, alongside populism and nationalism unprecedented since the 1930s. On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we must help Canada renew its commitment to acceptance – not merely tolerance, but true acceptance – of every human being.

“I have two great-grandchildren who don’t yet know what antisemitism is. I do this work so that racial hatred and antisemitism can be eradicated from the world.”

Edit Kuper, Co-President of the Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants (CJHSD): 

“It has taken the surviving remnant of my family – and thousands of other Holocaust Survivors – nearly half a century to rebuild their lives. While waiting in a displaced persons camp in Europe, my parents dreamt of Canada as a place of peace where they could restore and rebuild. When they arrived, they were deeply grateful to find work, housing, and education for their children. Survivors and descendants contributed to their communities and to Canada’s diverse society.

“Then came Hamas’ attack on October 7 – a day of infamy. Survivors and children of Survivors never thought we would ever witness another massacre of Jews in our lifetime. All our long-buried nightmares reemerged. Since then, hate and antisemitism have surged in Canada and the Western world, surpassing levels seen in the 1930s. It is so heartbreaking to see security guards or police having to protect sweet nursery school children at my grandchildren’s school.

“On the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, in memory of all who perished in the Holocaust, let us – the whole country led by the Canadian government – rededicate ourselves to eradicating all forms of hate and antisemitism and recommit to building peaceful co-existence.”

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Additional Background

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The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, representing Jewish Federations across Canada.