TORONTO – To commemorate the first annual Canadian National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of European Communism and Nazism, places of worship in the Canadian Eastern and Central European communities will open their doors on Monday, August 23rd for special services and to collect flowers and pictures of friends and family who have been repressed. In November 2009, Black Ribbon Day, was declared a national day of remembrance for the victims of European communism and Nazism, by Canada’s House of Parliament by unanimous consent. Black Ribbon Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact on August 23, 1939. The pact between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia carved up the lands and people that lay between their borders and subjected them to brutal repression, murder and genocide. The Second World War was a direct result of the signing of this pact: nine days after the signing, Hitler’s troops invaded Poland and two weeks later, Soviet troops invaded Poland’s eastern frontier.
Coinciding with the synagogue and church memorials is a conference co-sponsored by the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre, the CEEC and the Black Ribbon Day Foundation. The conference has attracted leading historical political and historic academic figures to discuss the theme, “History, Memory and Politics in Central and Eastern Europe”. For More Information Contact the Black Ribbon Day Foundation or the Central and Eastern European Council: info@blackribbondayfoundation.com Download BRD Community Poster Template Markus Hess Listing of Current Participating Churches and SynagoguesUkrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr Lithuanian Church of the Resurrection St Peters Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Peace Latvian Ev Lutheran Church Estonian Baptist Church First Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Of St Peter St. Johns Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church |
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