‍

A brief overview of FSWC’s Education Department’s activities during the 2023-2024 school year.

‍

Reflecting on FSWC's Year in Education

‍

With much satisfaction, FSWC’s education team has wrapped up a busy 2023-2024 school year, reaching more than 60,300 elementary and secondary school students through 1,420 educational programs in 78 school boards across seven provinces. This included virtual presentations, in-class workshops and programming on FSWC's mobile classroom, the Tour for Humanity.

Our Tour for Humanity embarked on its first journey to the West Coast, travelling across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and, for the first time, Alberta and British Columbia, visiting more than 20 schools, educating more than 3,000 elementary and secondary students on the Holocaust and human rights.

Learning about the history and lessons of the Holocaust, other genocides and atrocities and Canada's dark past involving human rights, students gained awareness of the dangers of hate and were empowered to stand up against it in their schools and communities. Throughout the school year, students were highly engaged in the programs, asking insightful questions and expressing ideas that demonstrated deep thought on the subjects being presented. There were also students who shared incredible initiatives that they had started in their schools to support their classmates. One example came from a Grade 6 student in a public school who shared that they had helped to set up a Jewish lunchtime meeting group so their fellow students who were Jewish could feel comfortable and know they had allies.

‍

‍

We know there remains much work to be done in Canadian schools to counter the rising tide of antisemitism, racism and other forms of hate. To that end, this summer, FSWC’s education team will be revising programming, developing new workshops and putting plans in place for educational events for the 2024-2025 school year.

Freedom Day and Speaker's Idol Inspire and Empower Students

‍

‍

Thousands of students from across Canada attended FSWC events this year - both in person and virtually. FSWC's annual Freedom Day event kicked off the school year at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto. In its 14th year, Freedom Day 2023 inspired students to be upstanders against hate and take a stand for freedom, justice and human rights in their communities. The program also celebrated the life and legacy of Holocaust survivor, human rights advocate and Nazi-hunter, and the namesake of FSWC, Simon Wiesenthal, on the anniversary of his passing.

The event, MC'd by TV personality Rick Campanelli, featured a series of uplifting speakers and performers. These included Indigenous social media influencer and traditional hoop dancer Notorious Cree, Holocaust survivor Hedy Bohm, Juno Award-winning reggae musician/singer Kairo McLean and Speaker’s Idol finalist Sonya Kovtun, who gave their perspectives on what freedom means to them and shared advice on actions everyone can take to raise their voices and make a positive difference in the world.

In May, 12 remarkable Canadian students took the Speaker's Idol stage to share their inspiring speeches on human rights issues that matter to them and how they envision creating positive change in the world. Broadcast live from studio, this year's annual Speaker's Idol student speech competition covered topics such as racism and discrimination, child soldiers, gender inequality, missing and murdered Indigenous women and the Oct. 7 Hamas terror atrocities in Israel. In preparing their speeches, contestants had to reflect on Holocaust survivor and Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal’s quote, "I believe in the good in people."

If you missed this year's finale, you can watch the recording below.

‍

Thank you to all the students, teachers, school board and city leaders, Holocaust survivors and community members who attended FSWC events this year - both in person and virtually. We are inspired by your participation and the value you place on this important learning to empower youth to create positive change in their homes, schools and communities.

Professional Development Training for Teachers

‍

‍

FSWC developed a series of professional development training courses to support teachers in implementing the new Grade 6 curriculum expectations introduced this year to teach about the Holocaust and antisemitism in Ontario schools. The training programs also offered curriculum-compatible content for students in grades 7-12, and were offered to all teachers to provide them with pedagogically sound tools and practices for their classrooms. These programs reached more than 4,600 elementary and secondary school teachers in school boards from Renfrew County District School Board in the east end of the province to London Catholic and Niagara Catholic District School Boards in the west. The organizing educators from the Niagara Catholic District School Board shared feedback that teachers who attended the training felt that it was "the best professional development training they had ever taken part in."  

‍

‍

Further training for teachers was offered at FSWC's annual Holocaust education conference presented on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January. The conference featured keynote speakers Dr. Valerie Hébert, who spoke about the power of using photographs to teach about the Holocaust, and author Kathy Kacer, who shared unique stories of rescue from the Holocaust. FSWC's senior educator Elena Kingsbury moderated a panel discussion featuring Holocaust survivors Rose Lipszyc and Gershon Willinger. Both survivors shared their testimonies with the educators in attendance, along with messages they wanted conference attendees to take back to their classrooms. When asked what they did with the hate they faced, Lipszyc replied: "I did not want to bring hate into my house... hatred is a disease... you need to open your heart."

‍

Hundreds of Police Participate in FSWC Education on Holocaust, Antisemitism and Hate

‍

‍

FSWC's work with law enforcement agencies continued to expand this year. The annual Building a Case Against Hate conference in Toronto for law enforcement personnel drew participants in person and online from coast to coast. They gathered to hear from leading hate crime investigators and learn from their best practices to build approaches for countering hate crimes in their respective communities.  `

‍

‍

Holocaust survivor Andy Réti continued to be invited throughout the year to share his testimony with Toronto Police College cadets. In his testimony, Réti shares how police were instrumental in the arrest, interrogation and execution of Jews throughout continental Europe during the Holocaust. He also recounts a unique experience where a police officer saved his family's life - a rare and remarkable act that defied the directives at that time, and led directly to his survival.

FSWC also worked with individual police agencies to present unique programming to support learning on antisemitism and the Holocaust. Most recently, Zach Sadowski, Director of Antisemitism Programming and Outreach, Emily Bonnell, Advocacy Lead, and Melissa Mikel, Director of Education, travelled to Owen Sound to present Lessons in Humanity, a history of the Holocaust with a focus on the role of law enforcement, and Antisemitism: Then and Now to members from Owen Sound, Saugeen Shores and West Grey Police Services.  

Making Space for Antisemitism Education in DEI

‍

‍

While DEI training in Canada has promoted tolerance and respect for multiculturalism, too often its content has excluded Jews and ignored or downplayed antisemitism. In recent years, FSWC has been working to address this serious shortcoming.

The significance of this work and the increasing need for this training have become even more evident following October 7. Demand for FSWC's ground-breaking Antisemitism: Then and Now program has increased significantly. From law firms to media companies and university leadership to governmental agencies, FSWC has delivered 60 DEI training programs on antisemitism over the past year to more than 5,500 professionals.

Here are some of the organizations that have booked FSWC’s antisemitism education:

‍

Upcoming Events

‍

‍

Donate to support our educational programs

‍