About the Gala


The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem
True Heroes Tribute Gala

 

Over 100 of Canada's top businesses and corporations sponsored the "True Heroes Tribute Gala'" which took place on October 5, 2010, in Toronto – a groundbreaking fundraising event organized by the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem under the stellar leadership of National Chair Fran Sonshine and Executive Director Yaron Ashkenazi. Integral to the Gala’s success was the involvement of the Gala's co-chair and Master of Ceremonies Ed Sonshine, a long time benefactor of Yad Vashem and the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem. Serving alongside Ed as co-chair and MC was John Tory, Canadian businessman, political activist and broadcaster.

Closing the evening was Dinner Chair and co-chair Fred Waks closed the evening in which he related his personal family story with great eloquence and passion. Steering Committee Members Felicia Posluns, Jeff Ross, Irit Shay, Beth Singer, Liora Yakubowicz, Nelly Zagdanski and Sara Zagdanski also contributed to the evening’s outstanding success.

At the Gala, Fran Sonshine, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev, and Israel’s ambassador to Canada Miriam Ziv bestowed Righteous Among the Nations titles posthumously to five honourees for their exceptional heroism in saving Jews from the threat of death during the Holocaust.

The honourees were Cornelis and Heintje Roggeveen and Klaas and Boukje Feringa who saved Mr. Max Noach in Holland; and Marie Françoise Borel who saved the Kaufman and the Kwiatek families in France.

Quebec native Philippe Borel accepted the award on his grandmother’s behalf, honouree Marie Francoise Borel; Joost and Sjoerd Roggeveen from Prince Edward Island and Indiana respectively accepted the award on behalf of their parents, honourees Cornelis and Heintje Roggeveen; and John Feringa from Port Elgin, Ontario accepted the award on behalf of his parents, honourees Klaas and Boukje Feringa.

In an emotional and heart stirring reunion, the children and grandchildren of the Righteous honourees were reunited with the individuals whom their parents and grandparents had saved: Max Noach from the United States and Helene Kaufman and Therese Kwiatek from France.

A reception preceding the dinner showcased the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem launch of the Yad Vashem ‘Besa’ Exhibition, featuring portraits and explanatory texts of 17 Muslim Righteous Among the Nations from Albania. Their actions in saving persecuted Jews during the Holocaust was grounded in Besa, a code of honor, which today still serves as the highest ethical code in the country.

Among the more than 950 guests that attended the gala were Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney; Ambassador of Albania in Canada Besnik Konci; Ambassador of France in Canada Mr. François Delattre; Israel’s Consul General to Toronto Amir R. Gissin; Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Toronto Hans Horbach; Consul General of the United States in Toronto Mr. Kevin Johnson; Consul General of France to Toronto Jerome Cauchard; Israel's Consul to Montreal and Eastern Canada Avi Lev-Louis; as well as Holocaust Survivors, Canada’s most respected corporate and business leaders, and members of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.

The True Heroes Tribute Gala, in highlighting the heroic actions of the Righteous Among the Nations honourees, provided a unique forum which demonstrated how otherwise ordinary individuals of different faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds were able to reach across a chasm of indifference and hate to embrace his fellow man in his darkest hour.

True Heroes Talk

“I was inspired, challenged and truly touched throughout the night at the True Heroes Tribute Gala. Thank you, Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, for all you have done and are doing.”
- Rachelle Mainse

“It was such a privilege to hear the extraordinary stories and to witness the ceremonies honouring those whose exemplary actions earned them the title Righteous Among the Nations. It really showed how one act of courage echoes through the generations.”
- Alicia DesMarteau

“The True Heroes Tribute Gala challenged us to look inward, to see if we had the courage to do the same and, finding ourselves lacking, to strive to walk in such exceptional character, truth and love.”
- Sam and Linda Dumcum

“Jolene and I would like to wish you both a really sincere congratulations for organizing and pulling off such an outstanding event.”
- Jason Sonshine, Gowlings

“I wanted to congratulate you on a spectacular event all around.”
- John Ulmer, Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg

“Thank you again for inviting us to last night’s gala dinner in support of Yad Vashem. The event was really quite remarkable. The stories of last night’s honourees were extremely powerful and brought the scale and gravity of the Holocaust down to a very meaningful, personal level for all those in attendance, perhaps especially for those who did not grow up hearing such accounts first-hand."
- Laura and Aaron Sonshine

“It was obvious that many in attendance were clearly moved by the stories of the “Righteous Among the Nations.” Congratulations on a monumental achievement.”
- Dora and Harry Kichler

“You were able to accomplish “intimate” with almost 1000 people in attendance and it was a remarkable achievement.”
- Ellen Smoskowitz

“My wife and I felt the evening was very inspirational and heart moving. Honouring the True Heroes certainly demonstrated man’s ability to rise above a very horrific period in history.”
- Dan Giaquinto, Managing Director, RBC Capital Markets

“I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the invitation to the BESA exhibition and the Gala on Oct. 5, 2010. My father, Mesut Salillari, who helped the Hajon family in Tirana, Albania, to escape the Nazi persecution, if alive, would have been so honoured and proud that his son was attending this wonderful event and his name was being mentioned as an honoured guest.”
- Admir Salillari, son of Albanian Righteous Among the Nations