Tribute to Holocaust Survivors
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THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM IN AFFILIATION WITH THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT PRESENTS THE ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL: JEWISH RESISTANCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST TORONTO, QUEEN’S PARK WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 12:00 PM Fran Sonshine Ester Driham NATIONAL CHAIR NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR May 1, 2019 “ Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” – Elie Wiesel The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem (CSYV) is privileged to collaborate with the Government of Ontario to present the annual Tribute to Holocaust Survivors. This year’s theme is Struggle for Survival: Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, the Nazis sought to annihilate the Jews not only physically, but to erase all traces of our culture and religion. The honourees that we recognize today aptly represent this year’s theme. We pay tribute to: Dr. Renate Krakauer, Eva Meisels, Aaron Nussbaum, Lilia (Zilberblat) Tsareva, and Lenka (Helena) Weksberg. Each of them showed great courage in the face of horrific circumstances. Their families joining us today are a testament to their resilience, perseverance, and love. Holocaust education becomes more urgent as significant numbers of Canadians are losing the memory of the Holocaust. A study conducted by the Claims Conference and the Azrieli Foundation released in January 2019 concluded that many Canadians do not know the basic facts of the Holocaust, with Millennials (age 18 -34) being particularly uniformed. It is incumbent on each of us to educate ourselves about the Holocaust so that we may contribute to a positive and tolerant climate in Ontario and throughout Canada. Throughout the year, CSYV empowers educators to make a difference. Constantly evolving, CSYV has introduced Leaders of Change, a new scholarship stream that will take up to 25 leaders in education from Canadian universities and high schools to Berlin and Poland, where they will interact with European Holocaust history in a personal, intense and experiential way. With this experience, leaders in education are empowered to influence and transform Holocaust education in their home institutions. Together, we take up the “struggle” to combat a growing tide of intolerance and hate in our communities, both in our streets and in our discourse. We each have an important role to play. At CSYV, we invite you to become partners in this vital mission. Sincerely, Fran Sonshine Ester Driham NATIONAL CHAIR NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM IN AFFILIATION WITH THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT PRESENTS THE ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS MAY 1, 2019 n 12:00 –1:00 PM CEREMONY n 1:00-2:00 PM RECEPTION n 2:00 PM BREAK/TOUR OF QUEEN’S PARK n 2:30 PM GATHER AT ENTRANCE TO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY n 3:15-3:25 PM TRIBUTE TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AT THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY THEME: STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL: JEWISH RESISTANCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST CEREMONY MC Fran Sonshine National Chair, Canadian Society for Yad Vashem O’ CANADA AND HATIKVAH Leslie Axworth (violin) WELCOME Fran Sonshine KEYNOTE ADDRESS The Honourable Doug Ford REMARKS Ester Driham National Executive Director, Canadian Society for Yad Vashem GREETINGS Galit Baram Consul General of Israel in Toronto and Western Canada SCHINDLER’S LIST THEME Leslie Axworth (violin) RECOGNITION OF OUR HONOUREES Dr. Renate Krakauer recognized by Caroline Mulroney, Attorney General Eva Meisels recognized by Rima Berns-McGown, M.P.P. Aaron Nussbaum recognized by Michael Coteau, M.P.P. Lilia Tsareva recognized by Roman Baber, M.P.P., Helena Weksberg recognized by Gila Martow, M.P. P. REMARKS AND KADDISH Rabbi Eli Karfunkel FOR HOLOCAUST VICTIMS CLOSING REMARKS Fran Sonshine Premier of Ontario - Premier ministre de l’Ontario May 1, 2019 A MESSAGE FROM PREMIER DOUG FORD I am very honoured to extend greetings to everyone taking part in the Annual Tribute to Holocaust Survivors. It is a privilege to be among those honouring these Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in our province and whose presence here has made Ontario a better place to live. I want to recognize the tremendous courage of the honourees, and to thank them for their strength in sharing their stories as survivors of the Holocaust and for giving a voice to those who perished in this unparalleled human tragedy. I would also like to acknowledge, with gratitude, the vital role they are playing in raising awareness of the need to continue to take a strong stand against all forms of hatred, bigotry and persecution. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the team and board who support the important work of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem. Their dedication to educating Canadians about the Holocaust is crucial to ensuring that future generations never forget the lessons of this terrible chapter in human history. Once again, I commend today’s honourees for their remarkable bravery and thank them for their contributions to our province. Doug Ford Premier STRUGGLE FOR JEWISH RESISTANCE SURVIVAL DURING THE HOLOCAUST THE UNPRECEDENTED BRUTALITY OF THE HOLOCAUST AND THE SUFFERING OF THE JEWS OFTEN OVERSHADOWS THE JEWISH RESISTANCE EFFORTS, OF WHICH THERE WERE MANY, RECORDED IN HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF THE SHOAH. DEPRIVED OF RESOURCES AND LIVING IN CONSTANT FEAR OF THE NAZI TERROR, RESISTANCE WAS CERTAINLY DIFFICULT, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. DURING THE HOLOCAUST, THE JEWS FOUGHT NOT ONLY FOR THEIR PHYSICAL SURVIVAL, BUT THEY ALSO FOUGHT TO PRESERVE THEIR JEWISH ANCESTRAL HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. Jewish resistance efforts were cultural, spiritual and, also took the form of armed resistance. Every effort was made to live life as normally as possible despite the harsh conditions. Throughout Nazi-occupied Europe, hundreds of schools were run inside the ghettos. For example, Janusz Korczak, a famous children’s writer and educator, set up an orphanage inside the Warsaw ghetto. He tried to make his students’ lives as normal as JANUSZ KORCZAK, FAMOUS CHILDREN’S WARSAW GHETTO PASSOVER SEDER WRITER AND EDUCATOR, MEMORIAL, WARSAW possible in the Ghetto. When the Polish underground offered Korczak an escape, he refused to abandon his children, instead accompanying them when they were transported to the Treblinka extermination camp. Cultural resistance included documenting daily life, keeping diaries, reading books, writing poems and songs, drawing and art, and the staging of concerts and plays. Maintained in secrecy, various illegal underground libraries serve as another powerful example of unarmed resistance. In the Vilna Ghetto, the Jewish community amassed a library and celebrated the acquisition of its 100,000th volume. Perhaps the most famous diary from the Holocaust was written by Anne Frank; it has been read by millions of people around the world. The legacy she left continues to serve as a compass to shape a better future for the generations to come. Jews were not allowed to observe religious rituals in most ghettos. Despite that, however, they continued to pray in secret and observed religious services in basements, attics, and secret rooms. In Warsaw alone, in 1940, there were 600 prayer groups. Prayer served to instill courage, reaffirm cultural and religious identity, and provide comfort in the face of both physical and spiritual extermination. They have left a legacy, reminding future generations of importance of the Jewish values and customs which were preserved at high cost. VILNA GHETTO LIBRARY, POLAND Some Jews staged overt resistance efforts, taking up arms to fight for the survival of their community. The Jewish armed resistance would at times join partisan units in Eastern Europe or participate in underground movements in Western Europe. Close to 100 underground organizations were formed in about 100 ghettos throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. These groups sought to stage armed uprisings or break out of the ghettos to join the partisans. The Sobibor uprising was but one example of armed resistance. On October 14, 1943, 600 prisoners mounted an escape attempt; only 60 survived and were able to join the partisans. On October 7, 1944, prisoners succeeded in blowing up one of the four crematoria at Auschwitz; all of them were caught and murdered. Although the vast majority of those who participated in resistance efforts against the Nazi regime did not outlive the Shoah, their acts of bravery remain a testament to the spirit of the people who endured. ABOUT THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM ABOUT THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM Established in 1986, the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem’s (CSYV) mission is to educate Canadians about the Holocaust. Through educational and commemorative programs, CSYV perpetuates the memory of the Holocaust and disseminates its universal lessons to all Canadians. CSYV is committed to promoting sustainable quality Holocaust education across Canada. The Holocaust is a subject that inspires critical thought amongst students, such as examining basic moral issues and exploring what it means to act and think independently. It is a fundamental subject for promoting tolerance, combatting prejudice and antisemitism, as well as enhancing citizenship in our classrooms and communities. FAMILIES COMMEMORATE LOVED ONES – HOLOCAUST VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS – AT THE CSYV MEMORIAL SITE AT EARL BALES PARK, 4169 BATHURST STREET, NORTH YORK IMPACT OF CSYV’S WORK CSYV ensures that the memory of the Holocaust is kept alive and that the universal lessons of the Holocaust are disseminated through impactful programs: • Over the past 15 years,