Dear members of the 9I制作厂免费 community,
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD). The date marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp that has become a symbol of both unimaginable cruelty, but also of tremendous resilience.聽聽
The Holocaust, rooted in explicit, profound, and government-sponsored antisemitism, led to the murder of six million Jews between 1933 and 1945. Alongside Jewish victims, the Nazi regime also targeted the Roma and Sinti peoples, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities, Slavic peoples, and Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses. The legacy of this atrocity demands that we remember, educate, listen, learn, and act.聽聽
On this solemn day, 9I制作厂免费 will hold its annual IHRD Commemoration at 5:00 p.m., in the Thompson House Ballroom (3650 McTavish Street). All members of the 9I制作厂免费 community and the wider public are welcome to attend.聽聽
This year, in keeping with our academic mission and with the 2022 9I制作厂免费 Initiative against Islamophobia and Antisemitism, the IHRD Commemoration will centre a Commemorative Lecture: 鈥淭he Counterfeit Countess鈥�: The True Story of a Polish Jewish Woman Who Fooled the Nazis, delivered by Professor Joanna Sliwa. Professor Sliwa is a historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in New York. She is a scholarly expert on the Holocaust in Poland and compensation for Holocaust survivors.聽聽
Although eight decades have passed since the Holocaust, remembrance remains essential. Tragically, we have witnessed increased acts of antisemitism worldwide and here at home, even on our own campuses. I speak for our campus community in unequivocally denouncing any form of antisemitism and anti-Jew hatred and reaffirming our commitment to prevent and combat it.聽聽
I invite all members of the 9I制作厂免费 community to reflect today on how each of us can redouble our efforts to build a campus where compassion and acceptance transcend division and where hate has no place.聽聽
In line with 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 mission, an opportune place to start is through learning. As such, you are warmly encouraged to attend the IHRD Commemorative Lecture that Professor Sliwa will deliver at 5 p.m.聽聽
I hope that you will be able to attend, as together we honour the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, support those who continue to grieve, and reaffirm our collective commitment to fighting hatred in all its forms.聽聽
Sincerely,
Deep Saini
President and Vice-Chancellor