Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) applauds Calgary City Council for its unanimous decision yesterday to proclaim January 27 as the city’s annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

A motion put forward by Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart initially also included a request for the city to explore the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The final motion passed yesterday did not include this request.

“This is a good start for the City of Calgary and will certainly not only help improve Holocaust education in the city, but also help in the fight against antisemitism,” said FSWC president and CEO Avi Benlolo. “More cities around the world should follow suit and declare January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day as well as endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which serves as a useful tool that could be referred to by schools, universities, governments and other institutions when determining whether or not an incident is antisemitic.” 

Earlier this year, the Canadian government announced its plans to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism as part of its new anti-racism strategy.