What you need to know
January 27 is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In 2020, Mayor and Council passed a motion that the International Holocaust Remembrance Day would become one of Vancouver’s official observances.
Since 2005, the United Nations and its member states have held commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to honour the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust.
The purpose of this Day is to commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime, and to promote Holocaust education throughout the world.
What's happening79th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
This year, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), we commemorate the 79th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We join with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and our Jewish community to pause and remember the six million Jewish lives, the survivors (many living in Vancouver), and the countless others - children, women, and men - who were victims of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
City Hall will be illuminated yellow on January 27
The colour yellow evokes the memorial candles lit in remembrance of all the victims of the Shoah (Holocaust), which is an integral part of Holocaust commemorations.
At this particular time in history, Antisemitism is on the rise around the world, in Canada, and in Vancouver. We needn’t look far to see that hatred has flourished in the digital age.
As we continue to develop our anti-racism and equity strategies to ensure that Vancouver is a more inclusive and fair place, it is more important than ever that the lessons learned and the horrors of the Holocaust remain present in the public consciousness so they are never repeated.
Learn more
For more information on the Holocaust and the steps we have taken and will be taking in advancing reconciliation, anti-hate, and equity strategies, visit the following sites: