Holocaust Remembrance Day sparks conversations about global rise of antisemitism

The only token Hedy Bohm has left from her mother is a handwritten letter from 1939.

In fact, all the Holocaust survivor has to show for her life during the Second World War is a notebook and her vivid memories.

“I was in hell in Auschwitz. It was truly hell,” Bohm told Global News.

It hasn’t always been easy for Bohm to relive her past since she began to share her story 15 years ago, but she says it’s been worth the educational impact it’s had on a new generation.

She says she and other fellow survivors felt they were contributing to a positive change in the global perception of Jews, but current conflict overseas has brought on new doubts.

“To see the faces of the students (and) the eyes as they understood and learned new things that they weren’t aware of … kept me going. Looking back, we question if there was any good in what we did,” Bohm said.

“Whatever we did, it wasn’t enough.”

The world marked 79 years since Auschwitz’s liberation on Saturday, Jan. 27. However, Holocaust Remembrance Day this year comes at a dark time for the Jewish community as authorities from multiple countries report a rise in antisemitic crimes.

“What we see now is devastating – a worldwide hatred of Jews,” Bohm said.

Muslim and Jewish community groups have told Global News that incidents of verbal abuse, vandalism, hate and intimidation targeting Canadians across the country have spiked since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy and rights organization, said in mid-October they were observing a “great threat assessment increase” against the Jewish community, with incitement at university campuses and on the streets, and genocidal slogans targeting Jews at rallies.

In Toronto alone, local