So never say that there is only death for you,
Though leaden skies may be concealing days of blue.
Because the hour we have hungered for is near,
Beneath our tread the earth shall tremble: we are here!
- Hirsh Glick, Zog Nit Keyn Mol
TORONTO, April 11, 2018 – This evening, on the Hebrew date of 27 Nisan 5778, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation solemnly commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day, and remembers the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazi Third Reich and its collaborators during the dark night of history that we call the Holocaust (1933-1945).
“Even now, more than 70 years later, the mind cannot comprehend the breadth and depth of inhumanity that was imposed upon an entire people, for no reason other than being who they are,” said Albert Lo, Chair of the Board, CRRF. “The Holocaust was not the first genocide of history nor, tragically, was it the last. When hatred is allowed full-throated expression, when men and women of conscience are silenced or overpowered, and when the dignity that is the inalienable right that all humans hold in common is forgotten, then the result is the ghetto, the mass grave and the crematorium,” said Mr. Lo.
“While we recall with sadness and compassion the suffering of those who perished, we also pause to honour those who survived, and made new lives for themselves and contributed with strength and courage to their new homes in Canada and elsewhere,” said Dr. Lilian Ma, CRRF Executive Director, “let us remember the courage of those who died and those who lived and those who fought and fell in battle against great odds. And let us say, ‘Never Again,’ and mean it.”
About the Canadian Race Relations Foundation
The purpose of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation is to facilitate throughout Canada the development, sharing and application of knowledge and expertise in order to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society. The work of the Foundation is premised on the desire to create and nurture an inclusive society based on equity, social harmony, mutual respect and human dignity. Its underlying principle in addressing racism and racial discrimination emphasizes positive race relations and the promotion of shared Canadian values of human rights and democratic institutions.
For more information
Rubin Friedman, Spokesperson - (647) 403-8526