Yesterday evening, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center held a reception at Toronto City Hall to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. More than 200 community members - including city councillors, MPs, MPPs, consuls general, police officials, educators and Holocaust survivors - were in attendance to remember victims of the Holocaust and stand together against antisemitism and hate. The commemoration took place one month after Toronto city council unanimously passed a motion to officially proclaim January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

FSWC expresses a big thank you to Councillor Mike Colle who worked with FSWC to put the motion forward and spoke last night as well as others who shared a few words, including Mayor John Tory, Councillor James Pasternak, Israeli Consul General Galit Baram, Holocaust survivor Vera Schiff, Rabbi Steven Wernick and Cantor Sidney Ezer who performed a beautiful rendition of the Song of the Partisans.

Thank you to everyone who came out last night in support of the Jewish community, to pay tribute to victims and honour survivors of the Holocaust and to send a strong message of Never Again.

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