Countdown to State of the Union: Only 3 Days Left!
To RSVP, contact Tracey Steyn at tsteyn@fswc.ca or 416-864-9735 ext. 21

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FSWC Brings Holocaust Education to Keswick and Vaughan

This morning, FSWC was at a Catholic school in Vaughan with Holocaust survivor Bill Glied - who discussed his experience during the Holocaust with students in Grades 6-8. The visit was organized by a Grade 8 teacher who had attended Freedom Day with her students in the past, and her class had recently finished doing a novel study on the book Daniel's Story.

On Friday, FSWC's Tour for Humanity visited an elementary school in Keswick where six workshops were presented to students in Grades 5-8. The Grades 5-6 students participated in the Simon's Story workshop, and many students showed a keen interested in Simon Wiesenthal's life after the war. Grades 7-8 students who participated in the Canadian Experience workshop also had multiple questions, particularly about the MS St. Louis - with many students questioning why Canada would turn any refugees away.

Support FSWC's work as we continue to travel across Ontario providing Holocaust education to students through workshops and the Tour for Humanity. Your donations help ensure that today's youth never forget. 

Click here to make a donation.

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Buried Testimonies on Warsaw Ghetto Atrocities on Display for First Time

Testimonies that were found buried in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto are now on display for the first time in Poland. The exhibition includes more than 35,000 documents that were compiled and hidden by historian Emanuel Ringelblum and other Jews who lived in the ghetto. Nazis forced more than 400,000 Jews into the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940. The majority died either from miserable conditions or after being deported to Nazi labour or extermination camps.

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Holocaust Survivor Meets Nephew He Never Knew He Had 

He thought his entire family perished after he escaped Poland when the Second World War began. But, just days ago 102-year-old Holocaust survivor Eliahu Pietruszka learned that his younger brother had survived as well, and that his 66-year-old nephew was flying from a remote part of Russia to Israel to see him for the first time. The meeting was made possible by Yad Vashem's online database, which has a 2005 testimony by Pietruszka's brother.

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National Holocaust Monument to Remain Open in Winter

Despite initially declaring that the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa would close for the winter to avoid risk of damage from snow removal, Heritage Minister Melanie Joly announced on Friday that the monument would remain open throughout the year. "Canadians will be able to reflect on the horrors committed against the 6 million Jewish victims & others while paying tribute to the survivors," Joly tweeted. 

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French Courts Punish Promoters of Antisemitic Hate Speech

In the same week, French courts rejected an appeal by Holocaust denier Alain Soral, affirmed the eviction of comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala - who co-founded the Anti-Zionist Party with Soral and was previously convicted of inciting hatred against Jews - from his Paris headquarters and ordered him to pay almost $6,000 to anti-racism groups, and slapped a fine on a former English teacher who hatefully spoke against Jews. This comes after vocal protests by leaders of the Jewish community in France on how courts have been handling antisemitic crimes.

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231 Immigrants from 'Lost Tribes' Arrive in Israel

Members of two "lost tribes" - from India's Bnei Menashe and Ethiopia - arrived in Israel on Thursday to begin their new lives in the country. Around 1,700 Bnei Menashe have settled in Israel over the past 15 years, and another 7,000 are waiting to immigrate. The latest arrival of Ethiopian Jews coincided with the two-year anniversary of a government decision to bring all remaining Jews from Ethiopia to Israel - a decision that has not yet been fully implemented.

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From the Arab World

For the first time since 2007, the Egypt-Gaza border opened under the control of the Palestinian Authority. This comes after an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal had restored the PA's control of Gaza, including border crossings with Israel and Egypt. However, citing security concerns, Egypt and Israel maintain tight restrictions at their Gaza borders.

On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers gathered at the Arab League headquarters for an emergency meeting called by Saudi Arabia, which ramped up its campaign against Iran. Most of the 22 member states condemned Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This is considered the first time the League has taken a strong public stand against Hezbollah. 

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State of the Union Is Three Days Away!

Don't miss out on this year's State of the Union! Join us on Thursday, November 23 for an insightful and impactful dinner and presentation as we celebrate the State of Israel. The event will feature former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman and Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder and Dean Rabbi Marvin Hier.To RSVP, contact Tracey Steyn at tsteyn@fswc.ca or 416-864-9735 ext. 21.

Learn more about State of the Union

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FSWC Wants to Hear from You

Passionate about an issue in the news or your community? Does it align with FSWC's mandate? Then we want to hear from you! FSWC is inviting you to submit reflections on issues that matter to you and the community. While we won't be publishing anything just yet, we will be taking all submissions into consideration for future projects.

Submit reflections to aborisovsky@fswc.ca.