Latest news with #HolocaustEducation
National Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jewish group calls on Ontario government to address antisemitism in schools following federal report
Article content The Canadian Jewish group is also asking the province to create a 'standardized hate reporting system' and to streamline the release of its Holocaust education curriculum. The latter was delayed after the Ford government appointed supervisors to oversee some of the largest school boards in the province in early July, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Article content CIJA's public appeal comes just days after it sent a letter to Education Minister Paul Calandra and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor on July 18 advocating the need for a 'joint strategy to address antisemitism within Ontario public schools.' Article content The letter, which was also authored by Landau and publicized on Wednesday morning, refers extensively to last week's Ontario public school antisemitism report. The report found 10 per cent of Jewish students had 'directly experienced' an antisemitic incident between the October 7 Hamas attacks and January 2025 and that over 40 per cent of encounters 'involved Nazi salutes, glorification of (Adolph) Hitler, or similar expressions of hate.' Article content Following the release of a federal report confirming widespread antisemitism within Ontario's schools, we wrote to the Government of Ontario, urging them to develop and implement a strategy to stop antisemitism in our classrooms. Jewish students are being harassed, excluded, and… — CIJA (@CIJAinfo) July 23, 2025 Article content On Wednesday, Calandra told the Post in a written statement that he was 'deeply concerned, angry and frustrated with the findings of a recent report on antisemitism in Ontario schools' and he pledged to intervene if school leaders fail to uphold standards. Article content 'Schools must be a safe place for every student to learn in a respectful and supportive environment. I expect school boards across the province to focus on student achievement and creating supportive classrooms, free of discrimination in any form, absent of divisive politics that leave students feeling unsafe, parents frustrated and angry, and teachers who simply want to teach but unable to do so,' the Conservative MPP said. Article content 'If boards are unable to succeed in their main mandate ‚ student achievement — by delivering safe schools, then I will step in.' Article content The minister of citizenship and multiculturalism reiterated Calandra's statement and directed the Post to the Education Minister's statement published on X. Article content Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on antisemitism, told National Post in a written statement last week that the report's findings demonstrated the 'need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education.' Article content 'Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of 'Never Again' when over 40 per cent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as 'Hitler should have finished the job,'' said the former Canadian ambassador to Israel. Article content
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Suffolk and Essex schools showcase Dora Love anti-hate projects
High school pupils have been presenting creative projects inspired by Holocaust education and aimed at tackling prejudice and Dora Love Prize is named after a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Lithuania who settled in Colchester, and worked to promote tolerance and high schools from Suffolk and four from Essex presented their work at the University of Essex on 23 June, with videos sent from a school in Dartford in Kent, and one from Valley Academy in Suffolk, were the 2025 winners, using QR codes on posters to share interviews with people who had faced discrimination. It is the 14th time the prize has run, with winners receiving a £300 cheque to help with anti-discrimination High in Ipswich and the Gilbert School in Colchester were the two runners up, receiving £100 13, from Alde Valley, in Leiston, said: "For our presentation, Not a Statistic, we interviewed members of ISCRE [Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality] and members of our school, about what diversity means to them, how it feels to be discriminated 15, also from Alde Valley, said: "We've all learned a lot. It's always good to win something as it is encouragement. We'll go back to school and encourage kids to do it next year." St Helena school in Colchester won the prize in year its children created a 25-minute film called The Importance of Knowing, which was screened earlier in the month at the city's Firstsite art 13, said: "We wanted to share with people what discrimination is and how it affects different people of all ages, all races, all sexualities and how they live it every day." Isla, 14, said: "We talked to as many different groups and people with different backgrounds as we could, and we asked them how they deal with discrimination, why they think that safe spaces are important."Donovan, 14, added: "With the internet, anyone can be discriminated against anywhere, anytime. "[Social media] can spread positivity and information and learning, but also it just needs to be moderated more because of all the hate going around, especially at the moment." Rainer Schulze is an emeritus professor at the Department of History and Human Rights Centre and the University of university originally hosted the prize, but this year it became a stand-alone Schulze met Dora Love in the early 2000s in Colchester."We had an immediate connection. She was a Jewish Holocaust survivor who always put the emphasis on the fact that it was not only Jews that were persecuted, but a whole range of other groups as well because of who they were," he told BBC Essex."This included the Roma and Sinti, often known as Gypsies, gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses, disabled people, and many more. "I find if you don't point out that the overall aim of Nazi ideology was to create a homogenous society where everyone was alike - a frightening thought - then you miss a trick in Holocaust education."If you talk about homogenizing society, then you get the young people because they understand they've been, or some of them have been, undergoing the same pressure of fitting in, of being discriminated of who they are." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Associated Press
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Thanks New York City Council for Funding AJCF American Service Academies Program
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 22, 2025 / The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation's (AJCF) extended its appreciation to New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) and City Council members Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) and Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx) for supporting AJCF's American Service Academies Program (ASAP). The program is a 16-day education program for future military leaders wherein they learn the history of the Holocaust and learn to apply its lessons to modern-day ethical leadership. This year's cohort included cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. An additional ASAP group will travel later this summer. The intensive program's itinerary took participants to Poland, where they learned about the history of antisemitism, which led to the Holocaust. There, they learned about the history of the pre-war Jewish community, learned and tour sites connected with the Holocaust, including concentration camps and mass graves and met with Holocaust survivors, scholars, elected officials and educators. They then traveled to New York where they engaged with U.S.-based Holocaust survivors, city elected officials and educators. The transformative journey across two continents focused on Holocaust history, ethical responsibility in armed conflict and the moral consequences of leadership during times of atrocity. On June 10, the group had the opportunity to meet Holocaust survivors for a special mentorship program. Council member Julie Menin was on hand to open the event by sharing the story of her mother and grandmother's experiences during the Holocaust. Council member Menin also explained to the cadets and midshipmen the importance of those in positions of leadership taking a stand against antisemitism and all forms of hate. 'We are very thankful to the City Council for supporting our critical ASAP program,' said AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson. 'Now more than ever, we must continue to ensure that the leaders of tomorrow are empowered with the history and lessons of history's darkest hour.' 'We are extremely humbled to have partnered with Council Speaker Adams, and Council members Menin and Dinowitz for this year's ASAP program,' said AJCF Director General Jack Simony. 'New York is the greatest city in the world, and its commitment to furthering Holocaust education and combatting antisemitism has made it even greater.' The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oświęcim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center and more than 300,000 individuals, including first responders, military personnel, students and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: . Contact: Joshua Steinreich Steinreich Communications (212) 491-1600 [email protected] SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation press release
Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
‘We need Holocaust school lessons to counter antisemitism emergency'
Antisemitism among schoolchildren is now 'a national emergency', the education secretary has warned, and must be confronted with compulsory lessons on the Holocaust. In the week the country marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Bridget Phillipson said: 'We must confront an alarming truth — the lessons of history are being forgotten by a growing number of our young people.' She added: 'Jewish pupils are being bullied in playgrounds, Holocaust jokes circulate on social media and swastikas appear on school property. 'These lessons are needed now more than ever. The horrific surge in antisemitism among schoolchildren since October 7 is not merely concerning — it is a national emergency. That is why every child in every school across England will learn about the Holocaust, about
CBS News
07-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Anne Frank tree planted at Seton Hill University, "A beautiful symbol of growth and renewal."
Seton Hill University in Greensburg received a special tree Wednesday, going back decades, thousands of miles away in Europe. It's now planted on campus as a symbol of strength, with branches tied to a young Jewish teenager, killed 80 years ago during the Holocaust. At 93 years old, Sister Gemma Del Duca watched her dream come true after the culmination of years of work as the founder of Seton Hill University's National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education. "It's a great thrill," Del Duca said. What made this tree different from any other tree is its history. It's a descendant of the beloved horse chestnut tree that towered behind the Secret Annex in Amsterdam, where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Holocaust. Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather is the CEO of the Anne Frank Center USA, an organization that works to empower future generations by honoring Frank's legacy. "By moving the curtain aside in the attic of the hiding place, [Frank] was able to see the tree. She wrote about it three times in her diary, and she watched the changing seasons with the flowering of the tree and when the leaves came back on the tree," Bairnsfather said. In 2009, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam preserved the tree by taking its seeds and germinating them, so they could donate saplings to organizations dedicated in Frank's memory. Anne Frank Center USA remains the only one that has continued to grow saplings, and with the tree in Greensburg, they've now planted 21 across the country for future generations. "It's just a beautiful symbol of growth and renewal, and the resilience of Anne Frank and her story," Bairnsfather said. It provides a great opportunity for the current director of the center at Seton Hill, Dr. James Paharic, to continue to teach youth about the atrocities that killed six million Jews, including Frank. She died of typhus at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen at age 15. "It's a way to help us in our mission, to help young people learn about the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism and extremism," Paharic said. Also, the memorial comes at a time when those dangers are rising at a rapid pace. "I never dreamed when we first began our work that we would, that things would move in the direction that they have in this particular time of history," Del Duca said. However, now they've planted seeds in Greensburg to help ensure we never forget. "I really feel it's a great sign of hope, and it will give courage and encouragement," Del Duca said. The official dedication ceremony will take place on September 25.
