Why we need to remember the Holocaust
Content Warning: This blog DISCUSSES Genocide and systemic violence and the bigotry of antisemitism
January 27th
On January 27, 1945, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was liberated. The camp was one of the largest, with a death toll of over one million men, women, and children.
In 2005, this date was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
Each year on January 27th, the global community commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. It is also a reminder that we, as a global community, must continually combat antisemitism and systemic oppression and violence, to prevent such atrocities from ever reoccurring.
“Antisemitism is racism, hostility, prejudice, vilification, discrimination or violence, including hate crimes, directed against Jews, as individuals, groups or as a collective – because they are Jews. Its expression includes attributing to Jews, as a group, characteristics or behaviours that are perceived as dangerous, harmful, frightening or threatening to non-Jews.”
What is Canada doing to address antisemitism?
Canada’s pledges on Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism:
"We pledge to combat antisemitism, Holocaust denial and distortion, hate crimes and all other forms of racism and to protect at-risk communities.
We pledge to promote awareness about the Holocaust and antisemitism in Canada.
We pledge to continue supporting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and to promote the IHRA working definition of antisemitism"
Has Canada been successful at achieving this? Or is this just lip service?
Antisemitism in Canada
Antisemitism is not in the past. According to the B'nai Birth Report, in 2020 there were...
2610 incidents reported (the 3rd consecutive year exceeding 2000)
18.3% increase in recorded incidents compared to 2019
> 7 incidents per day
> 44% of violent incidents were COVID-19 related
This is a present-day problem, not a historic one.
Antisemitic crimes and residual intergenerational trauma still continue to this day.
Though January 27th is designated as the day of commemorations, the fact these crimes still occur highlights the necessity for education and accountability, on this day and every other.
Why we remember
The Holocaust is a tragic reminder of the harm and destruction that follows when antisemitic attitudes are acted on, and when good people do nothing to stop it.
Designating an annual day is just one step in reminding us of our collective responsibility to act on racism. We have an individual and collective duty to educate society on genocide. To understand how the Holocaust happened. Because it did happen.
The Holocaust and the events leading to it were state-sponsored harm, violence and death. It was a masterclass in industrialized killing and mass murders. We need to understand so we remain vigilant of patterns of antisemitism and racism towards any community and take action against it.
Doing so reminds us that sometimes the call is coming from inside the house, so we have to be vigilant of our own policies and leaders.
Remember that old story of how when you have a frog and you throw it in boiling water it'll jump out, but when you put a frog in water and slowly increase the temperature it will die slowly without understanding why?
We remind you of this because it's important here to remember that the Holocaust didn't happen at the snap of Hitler's fingers, he turned the heat up slowly and purposefully.
Antisemitic views have unfairly existed for centuries but Hitler and the Nazis fed into this to divide communities. Their plan started way before 1939, with a meticulously planned policy that slowly stripped away the rights of Jewish Germans while pairing it with antisemitic rhetoric about how Germans deserved better. Instead of the government just doing better for the people in their country, they blamed many of the issues on the Jewish community.
The truth of the matter is, this strategy isn't exclusive to the Nazis. It's easy to look around the world, through both history and now in the present day, and see this strategy in different stages of action.
When we remember what happened during the Holocaust, we have to remind ourselves that this can happen again, that in many ways it is happening again and that we have a responsibility to have learnt from the Holocaust and do better for both the Jewish and other marginalized communities.
Imagine the lives that would have been spared if the first human rights oppressing legislation Hitler passed was shot down by the German people? It begs the question, what issues are we as a civilization in a pot of water that is slowly increasing temperature? How do we put a stop to injustice immediately, rather than risk the death and harm of marginalized communities?
Take Action
In your personal life
Speak out against antisemitic jokes and slurs. Silence isn't acceptable in the face of oppression.
If you come across antisemitic content online, contact the Anti-defamation League and/or the site’s host to have it taken down.
At work and school
Invite speakers to educate students/colleagues about antisemitism in today's world.
Start a school/workplace group to combat anti-Semitism.
Organize fundraising events to support groups fighting antisemitism.
Start off the year with a commemoration to introduce the subject of the Holocaust, human rights or genocides.
Sources: Canada.ca, Independent Jewish Voices of Canada, 2020 B'nai Brith Canada Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, UNESCO and 2018 Anti-Defamation League
