Student Teachers Encouraged to Make a Difference Through Education

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center's (FSWC) Director of Education, Melissa Mikel, was at York University today presenting a program to students in the Multilingualism and multiculturalism in educational contexts teacher education course. FSWC member Dr. Mara Reich invited Melissa to her course - a pre-service teacher program where the students are looking ahead to a future in education - as students are now investigating human rights education and what equity looks like in the classroom. 

Melissa presented a program that encourages teachers to frame all lessons using the head (knowledge), heart (compassion) and feet (action). Since the students were unfamiliar with Simon Wiesenthal, Melissa started the presentation by discussing Mr. Wiesenthal and his story with a particular focus on his post-war drive for justice. The students were all fully engaged in all of the content of the presentation and actively participated in an activity that had them reflecting on racism in Canada.

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Material Identified as Offensive by FSWC Pulled by Publisher

On Friday, FSWC commended the publisher Pearson Education for committing to pulling and revising one of its textbooks due to offensive material. The textbook in question on nursing contained a unit on cultural differences in the management of pain which relied on biased stereotypes about ethnic and religious groups included there. FSWC has been informed by the publisher in an apology for the inappropriate manner in which the information was presented that it has revised the online versions and future editions and has undertaken to seek ways to recall existing printed material.

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Former Majdanek Death Camp Guard Charged in Germany

German prosecutors have charged a 96-year-old former Majdanek death camp guard with being an accessory to the murder of thousands of Jews. Prosecutors allege he worked as a perimeter guard and in the camp's guard towers as a member of the SS's Death's Head division between August 1943 and January 1944 in Nazi-occupied Poland. According to a statement released by prosecutors, the man "knew of the cruel and organized mass murder," including the so-called Operation "Erntefest" that resulted in the murder of 17,000 Jewish prisoners in one day.

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Three Men Arrested in Florida After Making Nazi Salutes, Shooting at Group of Protesters

Three men were arrested after allegedly making Nazi salutes, repeating pro-Hitler chants and shooting at a group of protesters after Richard Spencer - an American white supremacist leader who helped organize the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville - delivered a speech on Thursday at the University of Florida. Protesters, who outnumbered the supporters, carried signs against white supremacy and neo-Nazis. The three men, who drove to Florida in support of Spencer, were charged with attempted homicide.

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Hitler's Plan to Take Over West Coast Thwarted by Jewish Lawyer

According to the book Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America by Steven J. Ross, Jewish attorney Leon Lewis help foil Adolf Hitler's plan to take over the US West Coast in the 1930s. With his own spy network, Lewis became an unofficial arm of American intelligence and provided important information about Nazis in the country. 

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'Death to Jews' Graffiti Found in Muslim Quarter of Old City of Jerusalem

Police are investigating after discovering antisemitic graffiti in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. A swastika and the phrase "Death to Jews" was discovered on a door Saturday night, written in both Hebrew and Arabic. According to police, "Get out of Aksa" and "Hamas" was also written. The graffiti was later cleaned off.

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From the Arab World

On Thursday, Hamas dismissed US and Israeli demands to lay down its arms and recognize the State of Israel. The terrorist group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, stated Hamas is instead debating "when to wipe out Israel." This was stated during a discussion between Sinwar and Gazan youth, which media was invited to attend.

In Egypt, dozens of policemen were reportedly killed during clashes with militants on Friday. A shootout took place after security forces raided a militant hideout and were ambushed by gunmen. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which Israel has condemned and referred to as a "severe terrorist attack."

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State of the Union Is One Month Away!

In just one month, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center will be hosting its annual State of the Union dinner and presentation. With Israel 70th birthday coming up, we are reminded of what an incredible military and economic powerhouse the country is, even as it continues to confront existential threats in the region combined with international delegitimization campaigns. Join us on November 23 to listen to two extraordinary speakers, Ambassaor Dan Gillerman and Rabbi Marvin Hier, as we celebrate and embrace the State of Israel.  

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Tracey Steyn at 416-864-9735 x21 or tsteyn@fswc.ca.

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.