Declaring January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the City of Toronto - by Councillor Mike Colle, seconded by Councillor James Pasternak

Toronto is home to the largest Jewish community in Canada, and home to a significant number of Holocaust Survivors and their families. By proclaiming January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it will be an opportunity to create greater public understanding and awareness of this horrific period in history where over 6,000,000 innocent Jewish men, women and children were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators from 1933 to 1945. Holocaust denial and other forms of antisemitic hatred have flourished in the digital age. Antisemitism is on the rise and an increasing threat not only in Canada, but all over the world. It is therefore critical that at this time, through this proclamation, we recognize the universal importance of the lessons learned from the Holocaust and encourage the citizens of Toronto, through their schools, institutions and libraries, to learn about the history of the Holocaust to raise awareness about this horrific genocide and ensure that nothing like it will ever be repeated.