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Acknowledge, Apologize, Avow:
“Never Again”

Holocaust Memorial Services

All begin at: 7:30 pm
Service and program followed by reception

April 16th: St Peter’s Anglican Church, Calgary
April 17th: St Michael’s Church, Canmore
April 18th: All Saints Church, Cochrane

Co-sponsors: Anglican diocese of Calgary,
Canadian Council of Christians and Jews,
Calgary Jewish Community Council

Remember six million
grieve in solidarity, heal as Christians

All services include presentations from survivors, cantoral and Taisé music
For more information contact: Robin Slater 673-3955

Christian Remembrance Services

The Jewish Day of Remembrance, Yom HaShoah, is held in memory of the six million Jews who died as victims of Nazi atrocities during the Second World War. Honoured internationally, it has been observed almost exclusively by Jews as a collective day of mourning. The Alberta branch of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews is inviting the entire Christian community to recognize and share in a mutual expression of sadness with the intention of furthering the healing process and strengthening the resolve to never forget.

Last year the Catholic diocese of Calgry requested that the Holocaust survivor who spoke to the Jewish community speak afterwards within the context of a Christian service. This year Yom HaShoah is April 15th. The Council of Christians and Jews has partnered with the Anglican Diocese of Calgary and the Jewish Community Council to present services in Calgary, at St. Peter’s Anglican Church on April 16th; in Canmore, at St. Michael’s Anglican Church on April 17th; and in Cochrane at All Saints Anglican Church on April 18th. All the programs will begin at 7:30 with a reception following for further conversation.

We have developed an ecumenical liturgy and a format that includes cantoral and commemorative music, as well as contemporary prayers for peace. Our hope is that other churches interested in hosting such a tribute in the future will be able to adapt this service in accordance with their own traditions.

Our speakers will recall their experiences under Nazi occupation, living in the ghettos and slave labour camps. Those who were in hiding, or who were providing shelter; those who actively participated in armed resistance, or who were providing assistance. We pay tribute to the Christians who hid families and also provided arms and ammunition to those fighting against the Nazi oppression.

In an attempt to counter what Elie Wiesel calls the Perils of Indifference where lives are meaningless and anguish is of no interest, the Council of Christians and Jews is committed to strengthening intentional connections. In the Gospel tradition that says when a community is gathered in prayer it represents all of humanity, we offer these services as an expression of our desire for universal reconciliation. Remember six million and grieve in solidarity as we heal as Christians.

"...to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all..." Elie Wiesel

An Ecumenical Holocaust Remembrance Service

Guest speaker
Peter Silverman Holocaust Survivor

Sponsored by: The Anglican Diocese of Calgary
The Calgary Jewish Community Council
The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews

Monday, April 16th, 2007
7:30 pm. (Reception to follow)

St. Peter's Anglican Church 903 75th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta

RSVP to David: 249-0076 or Linda at St. Peter's: 252-0393

Peter Silverman Born in a small Polish town called Jody, 200 kilometers north of Vilna or Vilnius, which is now the capitol of Lithuania. Peter Silverman was a high school student when Nazi Germany invaded the area in 1941. Peter and his family were forced to live in the Jody Ghetto until December 1941, when the Nazis liquidated the ghetto and massacred its citizens. Peter managed to escape this fate, however, and for over a year was hidden on farms in the area. Later, he became one of the founders of the Jewish Resistance operating in the forests. He is the co-author of From Victims to Victors, the saga of armed resistance fighters during the war.