Media Alert / Camera Call - Ottawa International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration

January 27 – 11 a.m. ET, National Holocaust Monument, Ottawa

On Friday, January 27, Canadians will stand united with a global movement to remember the six million Jewish children, women, and men murdered in the Holocaust. The commemoration is part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), this year marking the 78^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Holocaust Survivors, Jewish community leaders, elected officials, and diplomatic representatives will come together in person at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa for a community-wide event to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, honour the Survivors, remember the Righteous Among the Nations for their courage and heroism, and reaffirm the commitment to preserve the memories and lessons of the Shoah (Hebrew for Holocaust and used colloquially by Jews globally).

The event is hosted by the National Holocaust Monument Committee (NHMC), the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, in close partnership with the Embassy of Israel.

WHEN:
Friday, January 27, 11 a.m. – noon ET

WHERE:
National Holocaust Monument, Memorial Park (1918 Chaudière Crossing, Ottawa, ON)
*The commemoration will also be live-streamed at facebook.com/cijainfo. 

WHAT:               

• Blessing by Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation Elder Verna McGregor
• Remarks by a Holocaust Survivor and Descendants
• Remarks by Dignitaries
• Performance by Adam Moscoe
• Candle-lighting Ceremony

WHO:
This event is free and open to the public.

Special guests include:

• Elder Verna McGregor, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation
• Laurence Wall, CBC Ottawa
• Representatives from the House of Commons
• Minister Ahmed Hussen, Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion  
• Artur Wilczynski, Canada's former Ambassador to Norway, Canada’s Head of Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), member of the Board of the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship, and a Senior Fellow with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa
• Ambassador Ronen Hoffman, Embassy of Israel
• Ambassador David L. Cohen, Embassy of the United States 
• Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser, Embassy of Germany
• Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa
• Dr. Agnes Klein, Holocaust Survivor
• Annette Wildgoose, Daughter of Holocaust Survivor, National Holocaust Monument Committee
• *Shimon Koffler Fogel, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
• *Rabbi Idan Scher, Congregation Machzikei Hadas, Ottawa and Member of the National Holocaust Monument Committee
• *Andrea Freedman, President and CEO, Jewish Federation of Ottawa
• Adam Moscoe, Singer and Advisor / Economist at Finance Canada
• MPs, Senators, and Diplomats

 * Those indicated by an asterisk are available for interviews.

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About The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of the Jewish Federations across Canada. CIJA is a national non-partisan and non-profit organization with the mission to preserve, protect, and promote Jewish life in Canada and to advocate nationally for the public policy interests of the Canadian Jewish Community.

About the National Holocaust Monument Committee

The National Holocaust Monument Committee aims to promote awareness of the National Holocaust Monument and to promote Holocaust education. The committee coordinates events at the Monument such as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Babi Yar Massacre, and Yom HaShoah. The founding members are Rabbi Edan Scher, Lawrence Greenspon, Joel Diener, Harry Prizant, and Annette Wildgoose.

About the Jewish Federation of Ottawa

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa is a non-profit community organization that raises funds to help advance and promote an exceptional quality of Jewish life with the goal of ensuring a thriving Ottawa Jewish community that is inclusive, accessible, educated, and engaged.

Media Contact

Interviews will be available following the service. For more information, to coordinate interviews or to RSVP, please contact:

Nicole Amiel
Director, Media Relations and GTA Communications
416.525.2592
[email protected]

On-site Media Contact:
Cory Hann
Vice President Communications and Marketing, CIJA
[email protected]