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Educators and community members from the Vancouver area gathered yesterday to celebrate Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center's (FSWC) first-ever visit to the West Coast with our Tour for Humanity mobile education centre. In partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC), Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver (JFGV) and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCCGV), FSWC hosted a special reception and an exclusive viewing of the specially equipped Tour for Humanity bus to mark the occasion.

The Tour for Humanity is currently on a Western Canada tour, visiting schools in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and, for the first time, Alberta and British Columbia to deliver Holocaust and human rights education to students. Between May 27 and June 7, the bus is visiting schools in Vancouver and surrounding areas.

FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt along with JCCGV President Jonathan Weisman, VHEC Executive Director Nina Krieger and JFGV CEO Ezra Shanken shared remarks on the importance of Holocaust education and organizations working together to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate.

"Antisemitism continues to surge on the West Coast, especially since October 7th," said Levitt. "Given this reality across the country, it's an all-hands-on-deck time for Canadian Jews. As such, our collaboration with organizations here today, like the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and the JCC, is more critical than ever."

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FSWC is grateful to the Goldenberg family for donating the second Tour for Humanity bus and to the Diamond Foundation for sponsoring our Western Canada tour. Our multipronged efforts to educate Canadian youth and inspire them to stand up against hate would not be possible without the generous support of our community.

Since its launch in 2013, the Tour for Humanity has visited more than 1,200 schools and reached more than 200,000 students, educators and community members.

Learn more about the Tour for Humanity

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