Jan. 27, 2025
New lecture series commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Each Jan. 27, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, people around the world commemorate the lives of those who suffered the atrocities of the Holocaust and reflect on the dangers of antisemitism.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the day 7,000 individuals were liberated from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp — Jan. 27, 1945 — the University of Calgary has launched a new lecture series discussing this dark part of our history.
Events surrounding International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorate the six million Jewish victims and the millions of others who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime. In Calgary, the impact of the Holocaust is deeply felt through the lives and stories of survivors, immigrant family histories and our city’s war veterans.
“Approximately 40,000 Holocaust survivors resettled across Canada after the war, hopeful to build new lives free from prejudice and hate,” says Dr. Aoife Mac Namara, PhD, dean of UCalgary’s Faculty of Arts. “We encourage campus community members to take a moment to learn more and to observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day.”
Remembering and learning
As part of this effort, the Faculty of Arts, Calgary Institute for the Humanities, and UCalgary’s new Office of Institutional Commitments have launched the first annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day Lecture Series.
“This series reflects our commitment and dedication to justice, equity and transformative change,” says Dr. Amelia Kiddle, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of History. “It will serve as a vital platform for uniting our community through collective reflections on history and fostering a deeper culture of understanding.”
UCalgary hosts events such as this to offer opportunities for the community to ensure lessons learned are not forgotten, but strengthened through Holocaust education and research, Kiddle says.
“With this series, we aspire to spark meaningful dialogue and reaffirm the university’s commitment to empathy, inclusivity and the shared values that define our community,” says Kiddle.
The inaugural Holocaust Memorial Lecture will be held on Feb. 2 at the Calgary Central Library, featuring Dr. Sara Horowitz, PhD, a professor of humanities and former director of the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University.
Horowitz will analyze the effects of wartime atrocities and the aftermath on children and their childhood, focusing on four children whose wartime stories followed different paths.
Go here to learn more about the event and to register.
Learn more
If you wish to learn more about the Holocaust and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, take a look at the resources below:
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