Toronto (December 18, 2019) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) achieved a historic victory today as Toronto City Council voted unanimously to adopt its initiative declaring an International Holocaust Remembrance Day for the City of Toronto.

After an ongoing advocacy effort by FSWC, the initiative was introduced to the council by Councillor Mike Colle and seconded by Councillor James Pasternak. The motion passed by council states that from now on, January 27 will be recognized each year as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to commemorate the genocide of Jews and other groups by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The day marks the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.  

“We are very pleased that the City of Toronto has officially adopted International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” said Avi Benlolo, president and CEO of FSWC. “It is critical that we commemorate the atrocities of the Holocaust in order to pay respect to its victims and also to ensure that these events are never, ever repeated.”

“I’m thrilled that Toronto - Canada’s largest city - has proclaimed January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and hopefully this will encourage all cities across the country to follow Toronto’s lead in recognizing this day and making sure that we never forget the horrors of the Holocaust,” said Colle.

Stephen Holyday, Jennifer McKelvie, Mike Colle, Avi Benlolo, Shelley Carroll, Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, James Pasternak, Brad Bradford, Mike Layton, Paul Ainslie

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Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky
Associate Director, Communications
aborisovsky@fswc.ca
416-864-9735 ext. 29