Never Again
The Atlantic Jewish Council is committed to maintaining and broadening Holocaust Education throughout the Atlantic Provinces. It is both our responsibility and our duty to preserve the memories of those who perished and to continue to teach future generations the lessons that can be learned from this horrific event. The Holocaust has relevance not just for Jews, but for all people everywhere. In this vein, the AJC organizes and coordinates a series of educational and commemorative events throughout the year for all of Atlantic Canada.
Asper Foundation Holocaust and Human Rights Studies Program
For Grade 9 Students
The program's mission is to promote the education of Canada's youth in the history of the Holocaust and human rights in order to disseminate knowledge, raise the moral and spiritual questions of these events in human history, and generate change for the benefit of society.
The Asper Foundation is working towards educating the youth of Canada to preserve the memory of those who suffered under the Nazi regime. The six million Jews, three million Polish Christians and two million others (physically and mentally disabled individuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), Soviet POWs and dissidents) who were murdered must never be forgotten, lest history repeat itself.
The Holocaust and Human Rights Studies Program was developed for grade 8 and 9 Jewish students and has been expanded to include non-Jewish students who wish to participate. Almost 3,000 Canadian students, from over 30 communities spanning Vancouver to Halifax, have participated since the program's inception in 1997. The intensive 16 hours of training sessions cover a variety of topics, from the history of the Holocaust to an examination of current human rights issues in the world.
The program culminates in a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. As students tour America's national institution for the documentation, study and interpretation of Holocaust history, the issues they have studied come to life and are indelibly imprinted in their minds. In addition, they hear from survivors and from individuals such as Congressman Tom Lantos, himself a Holocaust survivor.
Graduates of the program were presented with a Memorandum for Personal Responsibility which was then signed by each student and Israel Asper. The memorandum certificate is, in essence, an oath to share the lessons of the Holocaust with others and take personal responsibility for the world community. The Asper Foundation was presented with the Human Rights Award by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. The award was presented "in recognition of their (The Asper Foundation) creative means of advancing and protecting human rights and working to address racism in our communities."
For more information about the Asper Program in Atlantic Canada, contact: Edna LeVine (send an e-mail), program coordinator for Atlantic Canada at (902) 422-7491 ext. 226.
Click here to visit the Asper Foundation website.
Yom Hashoah
Each year on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), communities throughout Atlantic Canada commemorate this day. For more information about the ceremony in your area, please contact either one of the Committee Heads listed below or Edna LeVine (send an e-mail), program coordinator for Atlantic Canada at (902) 422-7491 ext. 226.- Halifax, NS: Edna LeVine (send an e-mail)
- Sydney, NS: Evy Druker (send an e-mail)
- Fredericton, NB: Izzy and Marlene Unger (send an e-mail)
- Moncton, NB: Joan Sichel (send an e-mail)
- Saint John, NB: Katherine Biggs-Kraft (send an e-mail)
- Charlottetown, PEI: Rosalie Simeone (send an e-mail)
- St. John's, NL: Barbara Grandy (send an e-mail)
Holocaust Education Week
Holocaust Education Week has existed in Halifax since November 2004. It consists of a week-long series of educational events relating to the Holocaust, coinciding with Dignity Day, the community-wide Kristallnacht Memorial (Nov.9). The events of the week are geared towards university students, school-aged children, and members of the community at large. Events in the past have included films, survivor testimony, and talks from authors, photographers, and theologians. To find out more about the week's events, to volunteer, or to contribute financially, please contact Edna LeVine (send an e-mail).Schedule of events for Holocaust Education Week 2009 For more information please contact:
Edna LeVine: elevine@theajc.ns.ca 422-7491x226
Free Admission to all events: October 26th to November 9th
Monday October 26th:
Dr. Naomi Azrieli will introduce the Azrieli Foundation Holocaust Education Workshop for Educators, NSTU, 1:30-3:30PM OR 7-9PM session. Registration required. Please contact Edna LeVine elevine@theajc.ns.ca 422-7491x226
Tuesday, October 27th:
Holocaust Survivor Philip Riteman, 2009 recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia, tells his personal story, 10-11:30AM, Dalhousie University, McCain Arts Building Room 2118, 6135 University Avenue.
Thursday, October 29th:
Dr. Susanna Kokkonen, Director Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, 7PM, 6350 Coburg Road, Academic Building, Alumni Hall, King's College. CFYV was formed three year ago in cooperation with the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. Dr. Kokkonen will be speaking about the development of programs for participation in the work of Yad Vashem.
Monday, November 2nd:
Diversity Spotlight film night, Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road, Halifax. The Darien Dilemma, 7pm. Documentary film by father and son Israeli filmmakers Ezra & Nachum Laufer. The untold story of 1,000 Jews stranded on the Frozen Danube, waiting a life-or-death decision by their would-be rescuers, senior Mossad agent Ruth, and her agents in a hotel room in Istanbul.
Tuesday, November 3rd:
Genocide Past and Present: First hand testimony from Holocaust survivor Helena Jockel and Simin Fahandej, persecuted member of the Baha'i community in Iran and STAND presents Remembering Dachau to Defend Darfur.7PM, 989 Young Avenue (corner Inglis Street)
Thursday, November 5th:
Film: Both Sides of the Wire - Nova Scotia filmmaker Neal Livingston will introduce his film which chronicles the experience of German and Austrian refugees, the majority of whom were Jewish. They came to England to escape Nazi oppression only to be deported and interned in Canada in 1940. 7PM, CBC Radio One Room, 1599 South Park Street, corner of Sackville Street.
Monday, November 9th:
Dignity Day Ceremony and opening of the St. Louis: Ship of Fate exhibit 7:30 PM, ? Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax. IN REMEMBRANCE OF KRISTALLNACHT, NOVEMBER 1938. On the NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS, the power of evil was demonstrated when Nazis killed Jews in the street and looted their shops. It was on that day that the Nazis began the activities that eventually made the industrialized murder facilities of gas chambers and massive crematoria a reality. The exhibit marks the 70th anniversary of the Canada?s rejection of the SS St Louis Refugees.
In the Classroom
School Visits: Throughout the Atlantic Provinces there are many gifted speakers who are able to speak on matters related to the Holocaust. These include Holocaust survivors, authors and poets, teachers, professors, and young students who have been to Poland on March of the Living. To book a speaker in your area, please contact Edna LeVine (send an e-mail).
Films: The Atlantic Jewish Council owns many films that relate to the Holocaust. To borrow any of these films for a screening in your area, please contact Edna Levine (send an e-mail).
Poster Exhibit: The Atlantic Jewish Council owns a poster collection entitled "The Courage to Remember." This exhibit depicts in detail the history of the Holocaust. It has been featured in various places, including most recently, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. It is available for display upon request.
Library: The Atlantic Jewish Council owns many books about the Holocaust, suitable for all ages and levels of education. To see a list of these books, please contact the Atlantic Jewish Council.
Resource Kit: The Atlantic Jewish Council has put together a resource kit for educators to teach their students about the Holocaust. The kit includes many different resources and will be shipped to any teacher in the Atlantic region who wishes to make use of it. For more information, contact Edna LeVine (send an e-mail).
Websites For Teachers:
