Canadians describe visiting Auschwitz on the 80th anniversary of its liberation

Monday Jan. 27 was a busy day for Canadian politicians pledging to remember the Holocaust, fight antisemitism, and, in some cases, stand by the embattled State of Israel. The historic day—80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz—also provided a convenient ramp for some early campaign pledges as the country heads into a federal election later this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made one of his final international visits, to Poland to visit Auschwitz and attend the official commemoration ceremony, where he spoke with two Canadian survivors of that infamous death camp. Back in Canada, his minister of addictions and mental health, Ya’ara Saks, visited the Toronto Holocaust Museum to explain how $3.4 million federal dollars will go toward six organizations to combat Holocaust denial and antisemitism while a million more goes to UNESCO; in Ottawa, his minister of official languages, Rachel Bendayan, revealed the date of the forthcoming second national summit on antisemitism while speaking at Canada’s official national Holocaust monument. At the same event, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre attacked the Liberal record on protecting Canadian Jews and standing up for Israel.

On this episode of The CJN Daily, you’ll hear all these voices and more—including Canadian survivors Howard Chandler and Miriam Ziegler, and U of T law student Pe’er Krut, who had a front row seat in Poland—part of a sweeping glance at what the monumental day sounded like across Canada and beyond.

Related links

• Learn more about the federal funding for Holocaust education and museums in Canada, announced on Jan. 27, in The CJN.
• Read Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's speech.
• Listen to Calgary’s Daniel Pelton’s launch of three new compositions of music inspired by “The Tattooist of Auschwitz:, and recorded using the Violins of Hope, once owned by Holocaust survivors, on The CJN’s Culturally Jewish podcast.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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