On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi deathcamp Auschwitz, we must remember not only the past and evils wrought, but on lessons learned, and more importantly, those unseen, or worse, ignored.

The Holocaust is not and can not solely be a history lesson; it’s a reverberating and cacophonic scream, and a continuing stark and sobering reminder of what happens when unchecked bigotry and hatred eclipses, and silences, reason.

Today we remember the six million Jewish lives lost, as well as the millions of Roma, disabled, LGBT, political dissidents, and countless more. Lives extinguished by a regime fueled and funded by hatred, greed, ignorance, willful blindness, selfishness, and so many other undesirable traits.

We of course also honour the survivors and their remarkable stories and lives.

But let’s be clear: remembrance isn’t only “Never Again”.

Remembrance & “Never Again” is about actively opposing and fighting antisemitism, educating our youth (and let’s face it, many adults) about the dangers of antisemitism and bigotry, and ensuring our cities, provinces, and country are a safe place for the Jewish community, as well as all communities, to live and practice their religion in safety.

Let’s not only remember the Holocaust and the anguish it caused, but also recognize that it didn’t begin with deathcamps, gas chambers, or a Final Solution, but rather simple bigotry and hatred.

Never Again.

-Jon Liedtke