International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Remembering the Past and Confronting Hate

On January 27, Canada joins the international community in commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honouring the six million Jews and millions of others murdered during the Holocaust. This date also marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, by Allied forces.

Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, this day is both a moment of remembrance and a call to action. It reminds us of the devastating consequences of antisemitism, racism, and intolerance, and of our shared responsibility to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.

In recent years, Jewish communities across Canada including the community in Hamilton, have raised serious concerns about a troubling rise in antisemitism, including acts of vandalism and hate-motivated intimidation. The defacing of the National Holocaust Monument and other antisemitic incidents are reprehensible. Attacks on memory, dignity, and public safety have no place in our society, and those responsible must be held accountable.

The federal government has taken concrete steps to confront hate and protect vulnerable communities. These include the introduction of the Combatting Hate Act, which strengthens the Criminal Code to address hate-motivated intimidation and obstruction, as well as the Canada Community Security Program, which helps communities protect themselves from hate-motivated crimes. Canada is also advancing its Anti-Racism Strategy 2024–2028 and a whole-of-government Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

As we commemorate this solemn day, we reaffirm our commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust, standing against hatred in all its forms, and building a society rooted in dignity, respect, and inclusion for all.

“We stand with Jewish communities in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and across Canada in remembrance, in solidarity, and in the ongoing fight against hatred.” - John-Paul Danko

As we marked this day across the country, the Hamilton Jewish Federation brought our community together in a profoundly meaningful way. The program opened with a moving testimony from the daughter of a Hamilton Holocaust survivor, who recounted her father’s extraordinary journey—from deportation to Auschwitz‑Birkenau at age thirteen through survival and a lifelong commitment to Holocaust education. Professor Jan Grabowski then delivered a powerful lecture on the rise of Holocaust distortion, underscoring the urgent need to defend historical truth as survivor voices fade. The evening closed with reflections and a stirring musical performance, honouring the resilience of survivors and the responsibility we share in confronting antisemitism—an effort made possible by the Hamilton Jewish Federation’s leadership in Holocaust education and community programming.

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