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January 28, 2016 5:37 pm
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Social Media Lights Up With Outrage Over Canadian PM’s Holocaust Remembrance Statement With no Mention of Jews, Antisemitism

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avatar by Ruthie Blum

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: Facebook.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: Facebook.

The official statement released by the Canadian prime minister on International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust on Wednesday is causing a storm on social media for its omission of Jews in reference to the Nazi genocide.

Posted on Facebook by such figures as London-based Middle East analyst Jonathan Sacerdoti, Christians United for Israel (Canada) CEO Frank Dimant and i24 News producer D’vora Charness – to point out what they see as a travesty — Justin Trudeau’s statement is garnering hundreds of comments from furious followers.

Sacerdoti prefaced his post with: “Dear Mr Trudeau, Jew. Jews. Jewish. Judaism. Antisemitism. Regards, Jonathan.”

Dimant wrote above his own posting of Trudeau’s statement: “No mention of Six Million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Also interesting to note no reference to antisemitism sweeping Europe and the Islamist world.”

Charness, a Canadian, wrote: “This is what happens when you elect a 5 year old as Prime Minister… Missing words : Jew/Jewish/antisemitism #‎disgustedcanadian.”

Indeed, Trudeau’s very short statement mentions the Holocaust, the Nazis and the danger of allowing hatred to spread, but hides the identity of the victims. It reads as follows:

On this day, we pay tribute to the memory of the millions of victims murdered during the Holocaust. We honour those who survived atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime, and welcome their courageous stories of hope and perseverance.

The Holocaust is a stark reminder of the dangers and risks of allowing hate, prejudice, and discrimination to spread unchallenged. It also reminds us that silence must never be an option when humanity is threatened.

As we pause to educate ourselves and our families on the bitter lessons of the Holocaust, we also strengthen our resolve to work with domestic and international partners to continue defending human rights and condemning intolerance.

Disgusted responses were quick to ensue, especially – though not exclusively — from Canadians (and former Canadians) expressing “shame” over their country’s new government, which was elected three months ago.

Among the many responses were the following:

Stuart Lewis : “We have a eunuch for a PM. This statement is deeply troubling.”

Dinah Kutner : “Why do we expect any different from this Prime Minister?”

Inna Rogatchi: “It tells crystal clear who [Trudeau] actually is. Any further questions?”

Olivier Cøhen: “It’s definitely a very ‘vanilla’ statement. Considering the impact the holocaust had on the Jewish people, and the size and clout of the Jewish community in Canada, he could have probably done well to mention them. Maybe this is part of the new Liberal “don’t offend the muslims” line of political agenda. 25000 potential new liberal voters coming in live, gotta snatch every last one! Can’t afford to lose any over some messy Holocaust statement!”

Natalie Erlich: “The question of who were the victims is hardly debatable – unless of course you are Khamenei.”

Bernie Berel Shuster: “I am very afraid that we are in for a long hard road with this PM Where are the prominent Jews that helped get him elected, with money and advice.”

Trudeau’s statement comes three days after Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion issued a warning to the Jewish state.

“As a steadfast ally and friend to Israel, Canada calls for all efforts to be made to reduce violence and incitement and to help build the conditions for a return to the negotiating table,” Dion wrote on Sunday, eliciting harsh reactions on the part of people interpreting this to be putting Israeli policy and Palestinian terrorism on a moral par.

On Monday, Dion’s spokesman, Joe Pickerill, answered critics by saying, “We’re not necessarily equating the violence by any means on both sides. But there have been issues, and we need to be in a position to point that out.” He also said that a longer “tough message” would soon be delivered to Israel.

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