Why is there a Holocaust Memorial Day?
The Holocaust refers to a specific event in History, namely the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933-1945. Taken from the Ontario Yom ha-Shoah Memorial Day Act Holocaust Memorial Day provides on an opportunity to ensure that the crimes against humanity committed during the Nazi period are never forgotten, and the relevance of the Holocaust for each new generation is understood. Although Canada was less directly affected by the Holocaust then Europeans, the period of Nazism and the Second World War remain of fundamental importance to both our Canadian values and the aspirations that we share with our European neighbours, centred on the ideals of peace, justice and community for all. The repetition of human tragedies in the world today reminds us that we must be vigilant and learn lessons of the Holocaust again and again. We commemorate this day to raise awareness and understanding of the events of th
