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Toronto (March 29, 2022) – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) are pleased to partner to deliver educational programs that focus on education about the Holocaust, human rights and other related topics to Toronto public schools.

Recently, the TDSB shared resources and promoted a series of equity and diversity workshops FSWC offers for students, including Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust, Roots of Hate and Intolerance, Genocide and the Power of Action and Media Literacy, Propaganda and the Second World War, with all schools.

FSWC is also offering its Tour for Humanity, a 30-seat mobile human rights education centre that brings lessons on the Holocaust, genocide and historical and contemporary examples of hate in Canada to students. Following a two-year hiatus, the bus is back on the road, with a second bus nearing completion and soon ready to visit schools across the country.

Through these programs, students are inspired and empowered to combat hate and be upstanders in their schools and communities.

“Following a series of antisemitic incidents at Toronto schools, we commend the TDSB for taking action in the form of education to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate at its schools,” said Michael Levitt, FSWC President and CEO. “This partnership will help ensure teachers are provided with the appropriate educational programs and resources for their students, who will ultimately gain awareness of the Holocaust and other mass atrocities and human rights abuses as well as learn about the impact of hateful actions and how to better spot and address hate inside and outside their classrooms.”

“A key component of our Student Learning Strategy for Combatting Hate and Racism is providing opportunities for students to share their own and learn about others identities and lived experiences,” said Colleen Russell-Rawlins, TDSB Director of Education. “We welcome the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s resources and support to provide meaningful and relevant student learning about the Holocaust, hate, and Jewish identities to students as part of this critical work.”
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About Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is a Toronto-based Jewish human rights organization dedicated to combatting antisemitism and other forms of hate through education and advocacy. Through its daily equity and diversity workshops that feature lessons on the Holocaust, the Tour for Humanity and events such as Speaker’s Idol and Freedom Day, FSWC reaches tens of thousands of students across Canada each year, inspiring and empowering them to stand up against hate in their communities.