• 'For the dead and the living, we bear witness.'

Shoah (Holocaust) Committee of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa

 


The Shoah Committee is a group of dedicated volunteers committed to preserving the memories and legacies of the past to educate future generations about one of the worst genocides in modern history.

The mission of the Shoah (Holocaust) Committee of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa is to teach the lessons and legacy of the Holocaust and to promote tolerance, compassion, courage and wisdom in human relations. The committee plans and organizes special initiatives that teach the lessons of the Holocaust.

For more information about the committee and/or possibly volunteering, please contact Anne Read at 613-798-4696 x355.

 

Programs of the Shoah Committee


Holocaust Education Month: A list of community programming that includes lectures, films, workshops, panel discussions, exhibits etc., focused on educating the Jewish and broader community about the Holocaust.


Yom HaShoah: Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is designated by the State of Israel on the Hebrew date of 27 Nisan. Ottawa’s annual commemoration remembers (zachor) those who died and those who survived the Holocaust.

 

Educational Resources
The Shoah Committee has organized numerous important events highlighting critical moments in history as well as important witnesses and heroes, from Jan Karski to Raoul Wallenberg. As such we have developed a rich library of resources.

These resources are currently being transferred to the Ottawa Jewish Archives to ensure they will be accessible and preserved for future generations. We ask for your patience while this process is being undertaken.

 


Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants
 
The Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants (CJHSD) has launched a membership drive, and wishes to invite survivors and their descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren) to join the organization. Founded in 1999, it is a grass-roots, independent organization with affiliation with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). CJHSD has four objectives:
•    To represent and speak on behalf of Jewish Holocaust survivors with a unified voice;
•    To increase public awareness about issues that concern survivors;
•    To involve children of survivors in issues of importance to the CJHSD;
•    To engage in activities concerning the interest and welfare of Canadian Jewish Holocaust survivors.
 
In addition to the above, CJHSD represents Canadian survivors at the Jewish Material Claims Conference.  
Membership in CJHSD is free, please visit to sign-up. For further information about CJHSD, please contact Cindy Osheroff at cosheroff@cija.ca or 416-638-1991, ext. 5126.

 

The March of the Living
On Yom Hashoah students participate in a three-kilometre march from Auschwitz to Birkenau as a silent tribute to victims of the Shoah. Read more.

PAST EVENTS:

Watch the event recording here.

Click for more about this past event.

Watch the 2022 event on YouTube here.

Recorded event on Youtube.

Important Links

Yad Vashem

The Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)

The museum provides Information for students and general audiences interested in learning about the Holocaust.

Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre

This facility educates people of all ages and backgrounds about the Holocaust, while sensitizing the public to the universal perils of antisemitism, racism, hate and indifference.

Sarah and Chaim Neuberger

Through its museum and programs, the centre generates knowledge and understanding and serves as a forum for dialogue about civil society for present and future generations.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany

The Claims Conference administers compensation programs and distribute payments in its mission to secure whatever small measure of justice for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution.

Raoul Wallenberg Day

January 17 has been designated Raoul Wallenberg Day by the Government of Canada in 2001 to honour Wallenberg, who is credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews.

The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme

January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, has been designated by the UN as the annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

90 Important Facts

Read this site for some harrowing and very important facts about the Holocaust, from the origin of the word to details about concentration camp atrocities.