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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

80th anniversary on jan. 27

Red Deer City Hall to light up for Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Day, Veterans Voices holding event

Jan 24, 2025 | 4:31 PM

Landmarks across the country, including Red Deer City Hall, will light up this Monday, Jan. 27 to observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

This year’s observance marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

The camp was the site of the largest extermination centre for the Nazis, starting in 1942, according to Auschwitz.org.

“The City of Red Deer believes it is important to honour the International Holocaust Remembrance Day to preserve the memory of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust,” says Deirdre Ashenhurst, Diversity & Inclusion Community Facilitator.

“It’s a way to honour the millions of lives that were lost and the suffering experienced by surviving victims of the Holocaust, and also the impact of Canada’s restrictive immigration policies.”

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Ashenhurst adds that acknowledging the horrors of genocide, helps raise awareness about hatred, discrimination and intolerance and creates an opportunity to engage in conversations about preventing discrimination, bigotry, and hatred in all forms.

Landmarks will be lit in yellow, which evokes the memorial candles lit in remembrance of all Holocaust victims, also known as the Shoah.

Meantime, Veterans Voices of Canada is holding an observance event at 1 p.m. on Jan. 27, at its Military Museum inside Parkland Mall.

There is limited seating, and a ticket is $10.

Attendees will hear from Don Schapira, the grandson of three Holocaust survivors, and a veteran in his own right.

More details below: