Holocaust Survivor Shares Testimony to Over-Flowing Crowd at Library

Holocaust survivor Faigie Libman received an overwhelming response during her visit to Dufferin Clark Public Library in Thornhill. Sharing her Holocaust testimony to an audience of all ages and backgrounds, Libman recounted her story - from being a child growing up in Lithuania to the trials of being moved to the Kaunas Ghetto through to her harrowing days as a prisoner in Stutthof Concentration Camp. 

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FSWC Encourages Holt Renfrew to Remove Clothing with Yellow Star

In response to complaints, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has encouraged Holt Renfrew to remove clothing with the Yellow Star from its stores. The store has already pulled one item from its showcase and has advised that it is reviewing its current inventory. 

The Yellow Star on the upper left side of the clothing, which is part of the Miu Miu clothing line, connotes a painful past. The Nazis forced Jews to wear a yellow star with the word "Jude" imprinted in the middle in order to identify them, isolate them as a population and prepare them for the impending genocide. 

"Our hope is that through conversation we can educate and increase understanding of why such items can be hurtful," said Avi Benlolo, FSWC President and CEO.

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Antisemitic Graffiti Discovered at Markham Schools Condemned

York Regional Police are looking for suspects following the discovery of antisemitic and racist graffiti at three schools in Markham over the weekend. Graffiti included the Star of David being equated to the swastika, reference to the KKK and the message "White Power." FSWC condemns this graffiti and is pleased with the police for quickly taking action and treating the graffiti as a hate crime. 

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Neo-Nazi Flyers Discovered in Vancouver Mailboxes

Flyers promoting a pro-Hitler documentary were discovered in East Vancouver mailboxes last week. FSWC denounces these flyers, which promote the false claims made by neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers. The incident occurred before a planned alt-right rally in Vancouver, which was met with counter-protestors who came in support of an anti-racism rally in the city.

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Join the fight against hate, intolerance and antisemitism in our communities. By supporting Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, you help fund our educational programs such as Tour for Humanity, Compassion to Action, and many other programs and initiatives. Your contributions are 100% tax-deductible. We thank you for your support! Click here to make a donation.

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Ottawa Police: Reported Hate Incidents on the Rise

According to Ottawa police, reported incidents of hate have increased from 79 in 2015 to 109 in 2016. However, the reason behind this may because of the introduction of a new online reporting tool. Police stated that there is currently no evidence of white supremacist groups in the city, as current hate crimes that are being investigated involve individuals acting on their own.

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Simon Wiesenthal Center Receives Support for Program Against Racism in Sport

The Organization of American States (OAS) has confirmed its decision to grant its auspices to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's 11 Point Program against Racism in Sport. The OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, stated the organization looks forward to "work hard with all Latin American states and federations to adopt the Program in the lead up to the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games and the World Cup qualifiers in Russia." 

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Antisemitic Teen Vandals Sentenced to Meeting with Holocaust Survivor

Three teens who pleaded guilty for twisting a large decorative menorah into a swastika outside an Arizona family's home have been requested to meet with a Holocaust survivor as part of their sentence. A judge also sentenced the teens to 30 hours of community service, writing an apology letter and paying restitution to the victims, and writing an essay on what they've learned about the Holocaust and how their actions affected the community.

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From the Arab World

On Thursday, a suicide bombing in thesouthern Gaza Strip killeda Hamas militant who tried stopping the attacker from crossing intoEgypt. According to the Associated Press, this is the first time Hamas - aterrorist group that has conducted numerous suicide and terror attacks inIsrael - was attacked in such a way. Five other Hamas security forces werewounded.Yesterday, the UN's humanitarian official in Iraq stated that thousandsof people are fleeing Tal Afar for safety as an Iraqi militaryoperation attempts to retake the city and surrounding areas from ISIL.According to a UN statement, more than 30,000 have already fled thedistrict.

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Wendy Lower Announced as Speaker at National Policy Conference

FSWC is extremely excited to have Wendy Lower as one of our speakers at our 2018 National Policy Conference on Holocaust Education, which is held in recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Lower is the Acting Director of the Jack, Joseph & Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She will be joining several other renowned Holocaust and human rights educators and experts. To learn more about the conference and to register, email Melissa Mikel at mmikel@fswc.ca or call 416-864-9735 x40. 

REGISTER FOR CONFERENCE

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FSWC Wants to Hear from You

Passionate about an issue in the news or your community? Does it align with FSWC's mandate? Then we want to hear from you! FSWC is inviting you to submit reflections on issues that matter to you and the community. While we won't be publishing anything just yet, we will be taking all submissions into consideration for future projects.Submit reflections to aborisovsky@fswc.ca.