January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date was designated by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in November 2005. The day reaffirms “that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice” (UN General Assembly A/60/L.12). This day serves as an international memorial day for the victims of the Nazi Holocaust, which saw the murder of 6 million Jews, 250,000 to 500,000 Roma people, 200,000 to 250,000 persons with disabilities, and 15,000 people who were LGBTQ+. January 27 marks the date when the Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by Soviet troops in 1945.
To support Holocaust learning in our system, we are making professional learning available to all Board staff in collaboration with Echoes and Reflections which combines the experience and resources of three world leaders in Holocaust education: the Anti-Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem.
In November 2022, several YRDSB educators sat down with two staff from Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel and Canadian Society of Yad Vashem to talk about the importance of Holocaust education in Canada, resources available to support and the shared responsibility of combatting antisemitism. Listen to this powerful Tune In YRDSB podcast conversation.