24 January 2013
By Shemi Tzur

Israeli Ambassador To New Zealand Praises New Zealand For Raising Holocaust Awareness

On Sunday 27 January the international community will remember the tragedies of the Holocaust on the day that has been marked as U.N. International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Prime Minster the Rt. Hon. John Key, along with dignitaries of the Auckland community will be taking part in a special ceremony commemorating the International Holocaust Day. A uniquely New Zealand produced Holocaust Exhibition called Shadows of Shoah will be officially launched by the Prime Minister.

Additional to the Auckland function, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Minster Christopher Finlayson along with members of the community will remember the day on Sunday 27 January at Makara cemetery and at the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.

In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as the annual international day of commemoration to honor the victims of the Nazi era. This date was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the liberations of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. The U.N. resolution also rejects the denial of the Holocaust, and condemns discrimination and violence based on religion or ethnicity.

The United Nation’s Resolution calls on every member to oblige to honor the memory of the Holocaust victims and develop educational programs as part of the promise to help prevent future acts of genocide. Earlier this month, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, with the support of the Israeli Embassy, sent 20 New Zealand school teachers and educators from all over the country to attend a two week seminar at Jerusalem’s international Holocaust Centre Yad Vashem with the aim to implement their newly gained resources into their schools.

We have to raise awareness and understanding of the events of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides as a continuing issue for all humanity, based on a recognition that it could happen again anywhere and at any time, unless we ensure that our society opposes racism, prejudice discrimination and hatred towards others. It is a day where we take the time to see how the lessons of the past can play a part in our community today.

The Holocaust is an issue that is really close to my heart as it is for many people and the way New Zealand is taking such a strong interest in teaching about and commemorating the Holocaust, is something that should be praised.

Shalom.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>