The first in-person Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in four years took place on April 17 at Congregation Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem in Côte Saint-Luc. Bravo to the Montreal Holocaust Museum for coordinating and outstanding program which honoured the six million victims of the Nazis, the survivors and their families.
I was pleased to see a number of my constituents from District 2 play important roles. Ruth Najman served as the event co-chair with Doris Steg; Luis Grinhauz and Berta Rosenohl performed some stunning and touching musical numbers specifically for this occasion; Frank Chalk, Emeritus Professor of History and co-founder of
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, Concordia University, provided a powerful keynote speech; Josef Brody lit a candle; and the JPPS Choir directed by Amiel Bender performed two songs. That is a remarkable representation from one district for a community-wide commemoration.
Candles were lit by seven Holocaust survivors, accompanied by family members. There was opening remarks by the co-chairs and Montreal Holocaust Museum President and former Liberal MP Jacques Saada. The Consul General of Israel Paul Hirschon spoke and Rabbi Zolly Claman presented a memorial prayer. Survivor Pinchas Blitt recited kaddish and Fishel Goldig (a survivor as well) and Sam Stein from the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre did the partisan hym.
There was an impressive representation of political leadership. This included three CAQ cabinet ministers: Pascale Dery, who lives in CSL; Benoit Charette and Christopher Skeete; Liberal MNAs Elisabeth Prass and Jennifer Maccarone; members of the diplomatic corps and municipal councillors and mayors from CSL, Hampstead, Outremont, DDO, Côte des Neiges/NDG and St. Laurent.
A word of thanks to Eszter Andor, who always does such a masterful job putting this all together.
The committee was composed of: Daniel Cholewa, Francis Eytan Dortort, Fishel Goldig, Kathy Halm;, Marilyn Krelenbaum, Eva Kuper, Raquel Meerovici-Spiegelman, Judith Nemes Black, Sean Remz, Yosef Robinson, Sandy Rosenthal, Rima Rozen, Lucy Verebes Shapiro and Barry Stahlmann.