Tour for Humanity finished off the week at a Catholic secondary school in Hamilton, where Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Daniella presented Canadian Experience workshops to Grade 10 students. As the semester had recently started, the material was used as a “jumping off” point to further discussions throughout the semester. 

Inclement weather in the area made the classes somewhat smaller than expected, but this also lead to meaningful, more intimate discussions as the classes were more willing to ask questions. Most of the classes had some prior knowledge about the Holocaust, yet wanted to know more about Canada’s lack of involvement in the Holocaust. Daniella explained the story of the S.S. St. Louis in detail and then added some additional background information about strict immigration policies in Canada at the time. The classroom teacher brought up Prime Minister Mackenzie King who was influenced by antisemitic views so we also discussed the limited number of Jewish refugees Canada allowed into the country both before and during the war.