Today, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center's (FSWC) Education Department presented a Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust workshop at a York Region public school. FSWC Education Daniella was contacted by a teacher from the school because they were experiencing some intolerant attitudes and behaviours from students in the intermediate grades (Grades 6-8). In particular, there had been questions surrounding Holocaust denial, so the school wanted us to work with the classes as soon as possible. 

Holocaust survivor Vera Schiff also came along as part of the workshop to share her testimony. The workshop began with an overview of Hitler’s rise to power. Daniella specifically focused on how antisemitism began with people turning against each other and how things we sometimes accept as “little things” become "big things." Daniella then went into the Holocaust, beginning with the Nuremberg Laws which restricted the rights and freedoms of the Jewish people. Students were given a few seconds to reflect on what it might feel like to have their lives turned upside from one day to the next. One student wanted to know why people who were being deported were allowed to pack bundles if they were going to be taken away anyway. Daniella explained to the group that in many cases the belongings were taken away and then later sold, so it was a way of consolidating the valuables. Vera then spoke with the group about her experiences in the Theresienstadt. 

The workshop finished with a reminder to students that they have a responsibility to be tolerant of one another and of other cultures in order to ensure something like the Holocaust does not happen again.