Last week, on June 10, I had the honor of participating as the keynote speaker at the first anniversary of the Toronto Holocaust Museum. There has never been a time when the need for Holocaust Museums is more obvious, and it was very moving to meet in Toronto some well-loved survivors whom I have known for a few years now, as well as new and admirable friends who have worked so hard to make this Museum come to be.
The recent months have been a cataclysmic crisis for Jews in Israel and in the diaspora. It is hard to believe that we are seeing such a wave of antisemitism take over campuses and the streets of cities across the globe. Our people have gone through multiple immense historical events: the fall of the Kingdom of Judea, that dispersed the Jewish people all across the world, and rendered us stateless for two thousand years; the Golden Age in Spain and the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, which many fled to yet another temporary safe haven, where pogroms and then the Holocaust almost decimated our people. Finally, in 1948, the State of Israel was established, giving us a national home. We are facing a new crisis at this time, that calls for a re-examination of the way to keep us connected. We must find new ways to educate our young generations so that the sense of identity, community and belonging will persist and will protect them from the evil projections that surround us these days.
The backdrop of current events in the world made marking the first anniversary of the Toronto Holocaust Museum all the more meaningful and poignant. You can find a selection of photos of the event by clicking on the image below.
With best regards and hopes for good news,
Irit Felsen
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