FSWC Welcomes Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board to January 27 Initiative

TORONTO (December 12, 2017) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is pleased to welcome Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB), the 30th Canadian school board with its 90,000 elementary and high school students, to the January 27th Initiative.  January 27th is the UN designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.  In 2015, FSWC invited Ontario school boards to formally recognize this day in their school calendars.  To date, 29 Ontario school boards and 1 Saskatchewan school board have joined the initiative, reaching a total of 1,413,491 Catholic and public school students.  

Marianne Mazzorato, DPCDSB Director of Education, recognized FSWC's efforts to establish this initiative:  "Thank you for bringing this to our attention and providing us with the opportunity to formally recognize Holocaust Remembrance Day across the system and to incorporate this day into our network of resources and supports for the extensive work we do in the area of equity and inclusive education."  FSWC President & CEO Avi Benlolo stated, "I am very proud of the work of FSWC's Education Department and specifically, its Director Melissa Mikel in driving this project forward."

Mazzorato and her school board, along with the 29 other school boards, will be recognized at this year's National Policy Conference on Holocaust Education, being held January 27 - 28 at Novotel North York (3 Park Home Ave, Toronto).  This conference offers further support to educators in their planning and implementation of Holocaust education in their school boards and classrooms.  "We are also pleased to be launching our new Jewish Heritage Month Resource Guide at the conference," stated Benlolo.  "FSWC is proud to be at the forefront of educational initiatives that promote equity and inclusivity.  We don't just talk about creating change, we take action.  We support educators in their efforts to educate future generations."