Today the Tour for Humanity was at a public school in Caledon where Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Elena taught 6 workshops on the Canadian Experience to Grades 7 and 8 students. It was a great day, largely due to the willingness of many students to ask questions and they answered all of Elena's. The students clearly had talked about many issues before our arrival, for instance they had posters in their classroom of the two pictures of Thomas Moore before and after attending a residential school. There was also an overwhelming interest in the Holocaust and Nazi regime so that took up a lot of each workshop. One of Elena's favourite questions of the day was one girl who simply asked, "What was wrong with Hitler?" Elena did her best to answer but also pointed out that he was a hateful, bitter person who was obsessed with power but there is no one particular reason he was unique or that explains why he decided to try to murder all European Jews.   

FSWC’s Educator Daniella was also on the road today, facilitating a Lessonsand Legacies of the Holocaust workshop at a school in TDSB. This visit marked our 3rd year visiting theschool. The History teacher includes FSWC's workshop as part of the Grade 10 History curriculum.This afternoon Daniella began with an overview of the Nazi rise to power andcontinued into life in the Jewish ghettos and concentration camps. Studentswere very interested in the material. One student asked for more informationabout how the Nazis made the Jewish people into scapegoats. Daniella spent some timediscussing the political and economic climate in Germany in the 1920s/1930s andhow this led to Hitler’s rise to power. Daniella showed the students common propaganda fromthe time, including an excerpt from the children's book “The Poisonous Mushroom” and explained howevery aspect of daily life was impacted by antisemitism and Nazi ideology.Following the workshop, Holocaust survivor Gershon Willinger spoke to the groupfor an hour and shared his testimony. Students also asked him very insightfulquestions, making for an impactful experience.