Remembering the horrors of the Holocaust 78 years after liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Remembering the horrors of the Holocaust 78 years after liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
When Dr. Agnes Klein took the podium at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, there was silence.
Klein, who says she never thought of herself as a survivor, was just three years old when the war broke out. She survived the Holocaust by hiding on a farm in Romania.
"My husband was a concentration camp survivor and he never wanted to speak of his experiences. However, current circumstances and increasing hate have forced me and have made me and induced me to speak out," Dr. Klein said.
In an emotional and powerful speech at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Ottawa, Klein stressed the importance of remembering the millions of victims murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War and underscored the need to stand up against antisemitism and hate.
"As long as we remember their names, they continue to be alive in some ways because it reminds us that those were people who loved and lost, contributed to society, were generous, courageous and resilient," she said.
On Jan. 27, 78 years ago, Soviet troops liberated the most notorious concentration camp -- Auschwitz-Birkenau. While roughly 7,000 prisonners were liberated that day, over 1.1 million people, the vast mostly Jews, were murdered by the Nazis there. Across the world, Jan. 27 has been designated International Holocaust Rememberance Day.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also among the speakers. He urged Canadians not to be complacent and to call out hatred whenever they come across it. Acts of hateful and antisemitic rhetoric, he said, are coming from "dark corners of our society."
“Hate is being amplified online and on other platforms and so we cannot and must not be complacent," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the event. "All Canadians, especially those of us here who are leaders, need to stand up and call it out plainly and loudly.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poililevre also encouraged Canadians to call out “utterances of hatred and antisemitism.”
“When we do that, and only then will we live up to the privilege and the honour it is for us to live here as Canadians.”
According to Statistics Canada, the number of police-reported hate crimes increased by 27 per cent in 2021, with an increase in hate crimes targeting the Jewish community went up 47 per cent.
Lisa Levitan, whose grandfather survived a concentration camp, is an advocate for the global End Jew Hatred campaign. The grassroots movement says it aims to eliminate Jew hatred through peaceful action and education.
"He instilled in me the importance of ensuring that we remember, that we never forget the horrors," she said. "It is our duty as the next generation to make sure we remember."
A teacher in Ottawa, Levitan says antisemitism has become too common in schools and "that's a problem we need to end."
"The fact that it is resurfacing to such immense levels ... is unacceptable."
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
An Idaho hospital has announced that it will no longer be able to deliver babies because the state’s near-total abortion ban — one of the most extreme in the U.S. — has driven so many doctors away.
More witnesses are expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.
President Joe Biden's administration is not dismissing out of hand the idea of renegotiating the bilateral 2004 treaty that governs the flow of asylum seekers across its northern border, says Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
Canadians with a hankering for Shake Shack's juicy burgers soon won't have to cross the border to satisfy their cravings. Toronto-based private investment firms Osmington Inc. and Harlo Entertainment Inc. announced plans Wednesday to bring the U.S. fast food giant to Canada.
Two organic compounds essential for living organisms have been found in samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu, buttressing the notion that some ingredients crucial for the advent of life arrived on Earth aboard rocks from space billions of years ago.
China on Wednesday said President Xi Jinping's just-concluded visit to Russia was a 'journey of friendship, co-operation and peace,' and again criticized Washington for providing military support to Ukraine.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
The RCMP knew about a potential cocaine shipment from the Dominican Republic to Toronto aboard a Canadian charter flight but inexplicably allowed the crew that discovered and reported the drugs to be detained for months without intervening, a W5 investigation has revealed.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
A 64-year-old grandmother from Barrie, Ont. faces life in prison in Hong Kong, accused of smuggling drugs, after being duped twice in what her family believes was a sophisticated romance scam.
Anishinaabe podcaster Ryan McMahon sought to uncover the truth behind the deaths of several Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ont. in a new Crave Original documentary.
The city of Ottawa has released its list of road closures for the presidential motorcade and visit, starting Thursday when Biden arrives and ending Friday night after his departure.
Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for Ottawa, calling for mixed precipitation and icy conditions Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
During National Impaired Driving Prevention Week, a Tottenham woman faces slew of impaired driving charges after crashing into vehicle in school parking lot.
Police in Barrie sparked controversy after a video posted to social media showed officers arriving at a man's door to administer a breathalyzer test following a complaint about suspected impaired driving.
The stresses facing Stevenson Memorial Hospital were at the forefront of debate at Queen's Park Tuesday as the official opposition questioned the government's decision to allow the layoffs of over a dozen nurses.
The second day of the inquest into a fatal police shooting saw a number of people who knew 20-year-old Beau Baker leading up to his death testify, including with the police officer who shot him.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says its officers laid 232 charges and arrested 18 people in connection to the large St. Patrick’s Day street party in Waterloo’s university district.
London police have released more photos of a man wanted in connection to a random stabbing. The suspect is described as a dark-skinned man, waring a black hat, dark sweater or coat, tight dark-coloured jeans, black boots and a white medical mask.
London, Ont. city councillors want more information and more opportunities for public input before making a final decision about the future of Thames Pool.
Spring rain showers are on the way for Windsor-Essex. Temperatures will remain in the double digits for a couple of more days but will be accompanied by the precipitation.
The Greater Essex County School Board (GECDSB) has drafted a directive to staff and issued a letter to families aimed at curbing racism, harassment and bullying in school.
Windsor city council is supporting a proposed pilot project to have some spirits available in grocery stores, after Spirits Canada president and CEO Jan Westcott contacted Mayor Drew Dilkens with the idea.
As the search for victims of a five-alarm fire in Old Montreal stretched into its fifth day on Tuesday, friends and family members are getting frustrated with the pace of the investigation and lack of answers.
President Joe Biden's administration is not dismissing out of hand the idea of renegotiating the bilateral 2004 treaty that governs the flow of asylum seekers across its northern border, says Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The Transportation Board of Canada is to release a report Wednesday on its investigation into the sinking of a scallop dragger off Nova Scotia more than two years ago.
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
Last month, Dr. Michael Yang, a spine surgeon at Foothills Medical Centre, performed a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc in the spine, on a patient who was wide awake.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
Edmonton Valley Zoo is making improvements to Lucy the elephant's enclosure and routine to accommodate her for the long term after international experts did not agree she was fit to be relocated.
A Spruce Grove first responder artist created a series of portraits in memory of the pair of Edmonton Police Service constables killed in the line of duty last week.
The owner of a vintage furniture store in Vancouver’s Chinatown is warning about a Facebook Marketplace scammer who’s asking buyers for deposits and taking off with the cash.
An 18-year-old who got kicked out of the SZA concert in Vancouver on Sunday is pushing back against claims by Rogers Arena that he was removed after being repeatedly asked to stop dancing in the aisles.
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
President Joe Biden's administration is not dismissing out of hand the idea of renegotiating the bilateral 2004 treaty that governs the flow of asylum seekers across its northern border, says Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
A high-tech industry coalition in the United States is urging President Joe Biden to take a hard line against Canada's approach to digital services. The group says the proposed digital services tax unfairly targets U.S. companies and is offside with international efforts to establish a global standard.
Canada's race to procure ventilators for COVID-19 patients in the early days of the pandemic had researchers, scientists, industry and a notable astrophysicist working 'night and day' to design machines that could be quickly manufactured domestically.
U.S. cases of the dangerous fungus Candida auris tripled over just three years, and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the COVID-19 pandemic is likely partly to blame. More than half of states have now reported it, according to a new study.
Two organic compounds essential for living organisms have been found in samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu, buttressing the notion that some ingredients crucial for the advent of life arrived on Earth aboard rocks from space billions of years ago.
A high-tech industry coalition in the United States is urging President Joe Biden to take a hard line against Canada's approach to digital services. The group says the proposed digital services tax unfairly targets U.S. companies and is offside with international efforts to establish a global standard.
TikTok's CEO plans to tell Congress that the video-sharing app is committed to user safety, data protection and security, and keeping the platform free from Chinese government influence.
More witnesses are expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.
Gwyneth Paltrow's lawyer called the story of a retired optometrist who is suing her over a 2016 ski collision 'utter B.S.' on Tuesday during the trial's opening day in Utah, where the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer appeared in court, and tried to shield herself from photographers' view with a notebook.
Canadians with a hankering for Shake Shack's juicy burgers soon won't have to cross the border to satisfy their cravings. Toronto-based private investment firms Osmington Inc. and Harlo Entertainment Inc. announced plans Wednesday to bring the U.S. fast food giant to Canada.
Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund have agreed on a $15.6 billion loan package aimed at shoring up government finances severely strained by Russia's invasion and at leveraging even more support by reassuring allies that Ukraine is pursuing strong economic policies.
When Ai Weiwei opens his new show in April, visitors will encounter a familiar scene at London's Design Museum: Claude Monet's famed water lilies. But the monumental recreation is made from the studs of Lego bricks — a whopping 650,000 of them.
Willis Reed, who dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports' most enduring examples of playing through pain, died Tuesday. He was 80.
Three-time defending champion Switzerland remained undefeated at the women's world curling championship with a 7-6 win over Canada in Tuesday's afternoon draw.
The NCAA changed its setup for the women's tournament this season, trimming the traditional four regional sites to two. Seattle and Greenville -- a city of 71,000 in South Carolina about halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina -- will each host eight teams before sending the winners on to Dallas for the Final Four.
U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints from Honda Civic drivers that their steering can stick, causing a momentary increase in effort and increasing the risk of a crash.
The 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170 will deliver 1,025 horsepower from its 6.2-litre supercharged V-8, and the automaker says it will be the quickest production car made.
Police in Guelph, Ont. have charged a man who they say failed a driving test before driving off and nearly hitting four people with his vehicle and then deciding to do burnouts in a parking lot.
