Canadian military apologizes after post leaves Jews out of Holocaust message
The Canadian Army has apologized after a post on International Holocaust Remembrance Day did not mention the Jewish community.
A spokesperson for the military told National Post in a statement that it “regrets the error and apologizes for the hurt it caused.”
The military shared a message on social media on Jan. 27, addressing the “victims that suffered and died at the hands of Fascism for being members of marginalized groups.” The post continued: “We must take time to recognize that a society built on fear, divisiveness, and marginalization will lead to tragedy. We must strive for a culture of inclusiveness and diversity so that we can continue to build a strong and resilient society together, free of antisemitism and hate.”
It has since been removed, but was screenshotted and shared on Facebook by University of Ottawa professor Jan Grabowski.
“At first, I was convinced that this must be a fake. Unfortunately, it’s not,” he said. “I always thought that on that particular day (International Holocaust Remembrance Day) we commemorate Jews who died because they were Jews, and not because they were ‘members of a marginalized group.'”
He cited the definition of the Holocaust as the “systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators.”
“Another thing that the ‘Canadian Army’ media people might want to repeat several times, loudly is: ‘Holocaust distortion and its de-Judification is a form of Holocaust denial,'” he wrote.
Pro-Israel watchdog group HonestReporting called on the military to apologize to Jewish Canadians, saying that simply deleting the posts across social media channels was not enough.
“While it matters that governments and institutions mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it dishonours the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust to omit the primary target of Nazi persecution on a day that commemorates their attempted eradication,” Dara Solomon told National Post in a statement. She is the executive director of Toronto Holocaust Museum.
“At a time of rising antisemitism and when surveys show a disturbing decline in knowledge about the Holocaust, leaving out the word Jews is not neutral or benign, it risks re-victimization and distorting the historical record.”
Simon Wolle, the CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group dedicated to combatting antisemitism, said while it’s important to recognize all victims of Nazi persecution, remembering the Holocaust “requires specifically recognizing the over 6 million Jewish victims who perished during the Shoah.” The Shoah is the Hebrew term used to describe the death of the Jewish people under the Nazi regime.
“We acknowledge the apology of the Canadian Army but this must serve as a learning experience for all Canadians,” he said.
“The Jewish people will always be inextricably linked to this sordid chapter in human history. The failure to recognize such only deepens the collective trauma of the Jewish community, who still deal with scars of their past.”
Not acknowledging the “magnitude of the atrocities committed against the Jewish people by the Nazi regime” while there are still Holocaust survivors alive is an “affront to their legacy,” he said, especially at a time when Holocaust denial is “skyrocketing” across Canada.
“Canada must commit in perpetuity to take all required action to educate about the Holocaust, not only as history, but also as a warming, not only as a memory, but as a mandate,” he said. “Memory without responsibility is fragile. And remembrance without meaningful and appropriate language and action risks becoming ritual instead of true reckoning.”
The Canadian Army said it acknowledges that its social media post “did not clearly and explicitly identify Jews as the victims of the Holocaust.”
“While the intent of the post was to mark an important and solemn day in history, the wording did not reflect the level of historical precision and sensitivity required,” the statement said.
Social media content is reviewed internally prior to publication, the military said. It did not consult with any members of the Jewish community while drafting the post.
The post was removed “to prevent any further harm” when the military “became aware the wording in the post did not accurately reflect the historical reality of the Holocaust, specifically the genocide of six million Jews.”
The military said it was strengthening its internal review processes for commemorative and other content to ensure accuracy, context, and appropriate language, and to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.
“The Canadian Army has also met with staff with the Office of the Chaplain General, to further inform changes to its review processes,” it said.
“Following this incident, additional safeguards will be implemented for historically and culturally sensitive commemorations, including enhanced senior-level review and consultation where appropriate, to ensure accuracy, context, and respect to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.”
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