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Yesterday, members of Toronto City Council, foreign diplomats and other allies joined members of the Jewish community at Toronto City Hall to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, while marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and most notorious Nazi death camp.

The ceremony, hosted by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) and Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, paid tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of others murdered by the Nazis, their allies and collaborators. It also honoured the courage and resilience of survivors.

Special remarks were delivered by Holocaust survivor Irene Kurtz, City Councillor James Pasternak, FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt and Grade 7 Sterling Hall School student Hayden Baruch. The ceremony included a poignant prayer for Holocaust victims, recited by Beth Tzedec Cantor Sidney Ezer.

In her moving testimony, Kurtz recounted her story of survival and urged everyone to uphold the commitment of "never again," saying, "Everybody should have something, a reminder not to forget what happened and to make sure that what happened to six million Jews will never happen again, to anyone."
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Meanwhile, FSWC has also been actively engaged in a series of impactful programs over the past two days.

On Sunday, FSWC hosted its annual Holocaust Education Conference in partnership with the Toronto Holocaust Museum. The conference featured powerful insight from Holocaust survivors, authors and other experts. Watch one of the sessions, featuring a conversation with Holocaust survivors Hedy Bohm and Nate Leipciger, here.

Additionally, FSWC participated in a ceremony in Richmond, BC, where Mayor Malcolm Brodie proclaimed January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Yesterday, FSWC delivered educational programs on the Holocaust and antisemitism at Toronto-area schools, Osgoode Hall Law School, Algonquin College and Scotiabank. Many of these programs included testimonies from Holocaust survivors such as Andy Réti, Gershon Willinger, Sol Nayman, Elly Gotz and Denise Hans. These programs reached more than 3,000 participants, including school-age children, university and college students and professionals.
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On International Holocaust Remembrance Day—and every day—FSWC remains steadfast in its commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance. By preserving survivors' voices and engaging with diverse audiences, FSWC ensures that the lessons of the Holocaust stay relevant and that the promise of "never again" is upheld for generations to come.

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