Yom HaShoah oberved at Manitoba Legislature

Submitted by Ruth Ashrafi, Regional Director Manitoba, B’nai Brith Canada On Yom HaShoah, Tuesday, April 11, 160 participants gathered in the Legislative Building of Manitoba to read names of people murdered in the Shoah. The Lieutenant-Governer, Anita Neville, Premier Stefanson, Government ministers Rochelle Squires, Obby Khan, Sarah Guillemard, Audrey Gordon, MLAs Dr Jon Gerrard, Ron Schuler, Andrew Micklefield, Wab Kinew, and Councillor Markus Chambers were joined by community leaders such as Isha Khan, Director of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, representatives of the Winnipeg police, members of the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, survivors and many high school students.
The program, which has been held every year for many years now, is called “Unto Every Person There Is a Name,” after the poem by the Israeli poet, Zelda. This public recitation of the names of Shoah victims aimns to restore their identity and dignity. Each participant read a list with five to ten names. This part of the program lasted for more than an hour, giving just a tiny idea of the enormous scope of the Holocaust.
Rachel Tarrant, a Westwood high school student, played the flute during the candle lighting ceremony lit by Holocaust Survivors. Victoria James, National Outreach Director at Bridges for Peace, sang Eli, Eli, and Nesya Greaves and Sophie Braunstein, high school students, sang a beautiful rendition of Avinu Malkeinu, a song that had special meaning for Jewish resistance fighters. Cantor Tracy Kasner recited El Maleh Rahamim and Rabbi Yosef Benarroch recited the Kaddish.
There was a short and moving video about One More Candle, an organization that wants to honor the memory of the 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust.
The program finished with the blowing of shofar by Bill Weissmann. Unto Every Person There Is a Name was chaired, as always, by Jeff Lieberman.