Yom Hashoah: Leaders Condemn Violence Against Jews
Canadian and Israeli Prime Ministers speak out against Anti-Semitism for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers a speech during the official ceremony at Yad VashemPic: Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers a speech during the official ceremony at Yad VashemIn a statement released by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the PM acknowledged the on-going abhorrence and intolerance that continues to plague the Canadian Jewish community.
“On Yom Hashoah, Canadians of all faiths will stand together to remember the suffering of the millions of innocent men, women and children who were victims of the Holocaust.”
Yom Hashoah was marked with solemn ceremonies across Canada as Canadians gathered to pay tribute to those who were victims of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, this Holocaust Remembrance Day was met with new a study that points to continuing prejudice against the Jews.
According to a new study done by the University of Tel Aviv, anti-Semitic incidents in Canada have increased five-fold. In a report released Sunday, the University’s Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism claims there were 113 anti-Semitic incidents in Canada in 2009. The report focuses on incidents where Jewish property or individuals were unmistakably tagged and motives of hate were clearly documented. Researchers attribute the rise in anti-Semitism to the Israeli government’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza in 2008.
B’nai Brith Canada released its own report earlier this year indicating the number of anti-Semitic incidents increased by 11 percent in Canada with 479 cases in the GTA. B’nai Brith’s definition of “anti-Semitic incident” was not limited to criminal offenses such as assault but non-criminal harassment such as anonymous posting on the Internet and graffiti.
“The hatred and bigotry that led to the Holocaust still lurks in our world. Anti-Semitic crimes in Canada, including recent vandalism at Jewish schools in Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, demonstrate the continuing need for both action and education. They remind us of the necessity of standing firm and taking decisive action against the evils of anti-Semitism. Our Government is doing both while taking steps to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are remembered. “
Harper continued to remind Canadians of the government’s progressing involvement to stop anti-Semitism.“We refused to participate in the Durban II conference in April 2009, in light of its promotion of anti-Semitism. We walked out of the United Nations in September 2009 to protest the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish declarations of Iran. And we committed to supporting a national Holocaust memorial in the 2010 Speech from the Throne.
“The Holocaust stands alone in the annals of human history. It was not just a crime perpetrated against a specific group of people it was a crime that challenged the fundamental values all civilized peoples hold dear: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Canada will continue to stand against any forces that oppose these essential principles. We must never allow the crimes of the past to be repeated or forgotten.”
Meanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem using the Holocaust Remembrance day as a platform to warn about the dangers of a nuclear Iran.
“We are witness today to the new-old fire of hate, hatred of Jews inflamed by organizations and regimes of extremist Islam, most of all Iran and its satellites,” Netanyahu said of the form Radical Islam and rampant anti-Semitism practised in certain parts of the Middle East.
“65 years after the Holocaust, we must say in all honesty that what is most outrageous is the absence of outrage. The world gradually accepts Iran’s statements of destruction against Israel and we still do not see the necessary international determination to stop Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons.” The PM urges us to use the Holocaust as a learning tool to prevent future genocide. “We don’t hear the forceful protest that is required, we don’t hear the strong denouncement, nor the angry voice.”
Israeli President Shimon Peres echoed Netanyahu’s statements saying “We have a right and a duty to demand of the nations of the world that they not repeat the indifference that cost millions of lives, including their own citizens.”
Initiative created to preserve a legacy
Grass Roots Process Allows Event to Live Up to its Reputation
Annual List is the definitive guide to Britain’s and Ireland’s wealthiest people
Gaza Residents Enjoying Smuggled KFC
Jewish Institution Contributing More than 600 Items to The Art Project
OneFamily Team Takes Home the Gold for Second Year in a Row
Initiative created to preserve a legacy
Grass Roots Process Allows Event to Live Up to its Reputation
Annual List is the definitive guide to Britain’s and Ireland’s wealthiest people
Gaza Residents Enjoying Smuggled KFC
Jewish Institution Contributing More than 600 Items to The Art Project
Iran president violates electoral law by accompanying and endorsing presidential candidate to register for June vote.
The 19 year old sophomore sat on the exam table looking at the floor. A college student with obvious charm
In 1971, researchers set up a prison in the basement of Stanford University's Psychology Department. The idea was to
As I have tried to make abundantly clear the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that
Alright, that does it.Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans have been willing to do their part for
A study appeared in a journal titled “Obesity” which was reported by a group from the University of Colorado. In
Sixty-five years ago today, World War II officially came to an end. On September 2, 1945, Japanese Foreign Minister
Share This Story With Your Friends!
Friend's Name:
Friend's E-Mail:
(This information will not be displayed publicly)
Optional Message:
