The following statement was issued today by Tom Lush, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Hashoah)

I rise in this Honourable House today to reflect on a very important date, and a very important week to our Jewish community.

Tuesday, April 29 was the day Yom Hashoah. The Jewish lunar calendar tells us that this is the day of the Holocaust.

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador reflect with horror on the systematic persecution and murder of European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators, between 1933 and 1945. With our province�s Jewish community, we mourn the six million dead and grieve the loss this represents. The loss of talent, beauty, potential, and the loss of precious human life.

During the second World War, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians took part, along with our allies throughout the world, in a prolonged armed struggle to defeat the Nazis and their collaborators. So we chose this day, Hashoah, to observe a solemn remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and to honour those who fought to defeat the tyranny and genocide that engulfed Europe at that time.

I invite all honourable colleagues, and all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, to recognize this day, and to reflect upon the enduring lessons of the Holocaust. Let us also consider other instances of genocide and systematic persecution now ongoing around the globe.

Let us be mindful of the intrinsic, absolute, and inalienable value of the multiple cultures of our province, our country, and our world.

To observe and reflect on this horrific event, on behalf of the Hebrew congregation of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would like to invite everyone to attend a Holocaust memorial service being held this Sunday evening, May 4, beginning at 8:00 p.m. at Prince of Wales Collegiate.

In conclusion, let us say, with our Jewish community and the Jewish people the world over, "never again ".

2003 05 01                                       1:55 p.m.