TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2015 /CNW/ - "Ethnic and religious hatred is on the rise around the globe, and Canadians must not be complacent as we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day," said Anita Bromberg, Executive Director, Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF).
"It is horrifying that today, 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, one of Nazi Germany's most notorious concentration and extermination camps, Jewish people are fleeing parts of Europe as a result of anti-Semitic hate crimes and terrorism," said Bromberg. "That this is happening now, within living memory of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people, tells us that the world still has not learned the lessons of the Holocaust: namely, that while it may start with the Jews, hatred against 'the other' leads inexorably to hatred against all 'others,' and furthermore that manifestations of this hatred can tear apart the fabric of even the most stable society."
Canada is respected around the world for its commitment to multiculturalism, yet Canadians are not immune to the radical strains of political and religious extremism being disseminated online and through the media. The CRRF is committed to working with its partners in government and the public and private sectors to continue to build harmonious race relations between all Canadians.
The CRRF has launched a three-year program, Our Canada: Exploring Canadian Values through Culture, Faith and Identity, as a means of engaging Canadians in constructive dialogue and activities that recognize diversity as a national asset, and promote core Canadian values and civic engagement as each person's contribution to building a stronger Canada.
The project includes publishing 150 stories – one per week through to 2017 – about remarkable Canadians who represent the values, vision, social responsibility and passion that make up Our Canada. Inspired by Canada's upcoming sesquicentennial, 150 Stories pays tribute to and celebrates Canada's diversity, democratic principles and multiculturalism policies. In honour of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, this week's story is told by Holocaust survivor Irene Csillag, who was imprisoned in Auschwitz.
Read Irene Csillag's compelling first-person narrative at www.crrf-fcrr.ca.
SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation
CRRF Executive Director: Anita Bromberg, [email protected], 416-508-9033
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