Today, Tour for Humanity was in Toronto at a local public school. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Elena worked with Grades 4,5, 6, and 7 students and all of the classes except for the Grade 7 students got a variation on the Canadian Experience workshop with emphasis on Simon Wiesenthal's role in taking action against Nazi war criminals in the decades after World War II. Elena was very impressed with each grade's knowledge of the Holocaust. Many of the younger students were excited to share their own family's experiences during the Holocaust, which  is always very interesting. Many students clearly had a very personal connection to the history of the Holocaust.

Elena also had some excellent questions and comments throughout the day, but surprisingly the Grade 4 groups asked some of the most insightful questions of all.  Elena was very impressed when one boy told her World War II started when Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany and there were a few gasps when she showed them the map of Europe with all of the Nazi-occupied and satellite states in red - they could see how Germany dominated the continent for the early years of World War II. One student wanted to know why Switzerland was not invaded, which led to a conversation about neutrality and the fact that neutrality in the face of hatred always helps the perpetrator of violence, never the victim (just like with bystanders and bullying). Another student from the same class was shocked when Elena mentioned the fact that some women were Nazis. She didn’t understand how women could have a public role within the Nazi state while the Nazis also promoted the idea of traditional motherhood, encouraging women to focus on family and home. Elena explained that while the Nazis did promote that traditional image, they also needed women to help run their concentration camps, particularly camps like Ravensbruck that had all-female prisoners. Elena also talked a bit about the Nazi’s youth groups for both boys and girls and how these organizations were used to train both men and women to enact their violence.