International Holocaust Remembrance Day honoured at Montreal museum

Montreal's Holocaust Museum opened its doors to honour International Holocaust Remembrance Day and give school children a chance to meet survivors.

Six local survivors were at the museum to share their stories with students, Grade 6 and up, participating in a writing workshop with local author Monique Polak.

She wanted young people to hear first-hand from those who lived through the horror.

"These kids are going to tell these stories that they learned today, hopefully, to their own children, and perhaps their own grandchildren," Polak said.

Museum spokesperson Audrey Licop said the Holocaust survivors "enjoy having a new way to express their stories."

"They like to share their stories with young people," she said.

Grade 6 student Maya Waxman was one of about forty students who attended the museum today.

As part of the day's commemorative events, she listened to Holocaust survivor Ted Bolgar talk about his experiences at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"I was very upset, and there were moments when I was trying not to cry," Waxman said.

"I would never have been able to share what he shared with us."

After the discussion, each group wrote a short piece about what they heard.

Keeping the memory alive

Bolgar has been speaking to students about the Holocaust for more than 30 years.

He said he comes to events like these to keep the memory alive in younger generations.

"We cannot and should not forget the Holocaust," Bolgar said. "That's why I am doing it."

The museum, which was open with free admission until 4 p.m., plans to publish parts of the children's work online.

The United Nations designated Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005.

The museum was closed for the Sabbath on Jan. 27th, so the events were pushed to Sunday.