Premier David Eby has issued the following statement in honour of Yom HaShoah:

“This evening, Jewish people in British Columbia and around the world will light candles and say the names of those murdered in the Holocaust.

“Yom HaShoah calls on everyone to remember and reflect. We honour the six million people killed by the Nazi regime in a systematic attempt to annihilate Jewish people. The Nazis destroyed families, extinguished entire communities and sought to erase centuries of culture, faith and learning. The world lost immeasurable human potential, wisdom and love.

“We remember each victim as a person – a child with dreams, a parent offering comfort, a grandparent passing down tradition. We carry forward their names and their stories because memory resists erasure.

“We also remember the millions of Roma and Sinti people, people with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, political dissidents and others whom the Nazi regime persecuted and murdered because of who they were.

“Survivors rebuilt their lives in the shadow of unimaginable loss and chose to share their testimony with courage and resolve. They have warned us where hatred, dehumanization and indifference can lead. As we lose more Holocaust survivors each year, we must preserve their stories and act on their lessons.

“In recent years, antisemitism has surged in deeply troubling ways. Around the world, including here in British Columbia, Jewish people have faced increasing threats, harassment and violence. Antisemitism threatens the safety, dignity and belonging of Jewish people in our communities. It demands moral clarity and decisive action.

“Our government is strengthening Holocaust education so that every high school student in British Columbia learns the truth of the Shoah and understands the consequences of unchecked hate. We continue to work closely with Jewish communities to improve security at synagogues, schools and community centres, because everyone deserves to live and gather without fear.

“Yom HaShoah challenges all of us to reject denial and distortion, to confront antisemitism wherever it appears and to defend human dignity without hesitation.

“May the memory of those murdered in the Holocaust be a blessing. May their memory strengthen our resolve to build a province and a world where ‘Never Again’ is not merely spoken, but upheld.”