Hillel TMU, together with Toronto Metropolitan University and the TMU Student Union, are proud to host this year's Holocaust Education Week on campus. HEW seeks to bring awareness and education to the campus community to preserve the memory of what happened and to educate about the dangers of intolerance.
This year, Holocaust Education Week is centered around International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a global day recognizing victims of the Holocaust. The UN General Assembly designated that IHRD would fall annually on January 27th to mark the day the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was liberated in 1945.
We thank you for your interest in Holocaust Education Week and for attending these powerful learning opportunities.
Summary of Events:
1. The Last Goodbye: An Immersive VR Experience & Tabling Event (No RSVP Required)
Monday, January 27, 11AM-4PM - SLC Atrium
The Last Goodbye is an award-winning, virtual reality (VR) film that transports viewers inside the Nazi death camp Majdandek in Poland with Toronto-based Holocaust survivor, Pinchas Gutter. Using VR googles, the immersive experience enables viewers to virtually walk with Pinchas as he travels through the camp.
2. Memorial Ceremony & Survivor Testimony with Pinchas Gutter
Tuesday, January 28, 5PM-7PM - Location On Campus TBA
Born in Lodz, Poland, Pinchas Gutter was eight years old when WWII began. A survivor of six Nazi concentration camps, he now lives in Toronto. Pinchas has shared his story of heroism and heartbreak with audiences worldwide. A renowned Holocaust educator, he promotes transformational dialogue on human rights, is celebrated for his volunteer work, and recently received The Order of Canada.
Pinchas will visit campus to share his testimony from the Warsaw Ghetto and concentration camps. The evening will begin with a Memorial Ceremony to honor other groups targeted during the Nazi regime.
3. The Law and the Holocaust: A Conversation on Human Rights (hosted by Lincoln Alexander Law School’s Jewish Law Students Association)
Wednesday, January 29, 12PM-1PM - Location on campus TBA
In honour of the annual Holocaust Education Week, commemorated University-wide, The Jewish Law Students' Association is proud to host a discussion on human rights and the law, drawing on the tragedies and lessons of the Holocaust. Open to all students. Kosher lunch will be served.
Please use this link to register for Law and the Holocaust.
4. Crossing the River: From Poland to Paradise Documentary Screening & Q&A with Professor Allan Novack
Thursday, January 30, 6:30PM-8PM - Location On Campus TBA
Crossing the River tells the story of the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor siblings, capturing over 100 years of family history in about 30 minutes. At ages 101, 100, 98, and 96, the Fink siblings have outlived spouses, children, friends, and one of history’s most horrific genocides. What is the secret to their longevity?
Filmmaker Allan Novak, who has been documenting his family for 40 years, uses this opportunity to revisit their past. With unprecedented access to the siblings and their archives, the film reveals how this seemingly ordinary family is truly extraordinary.
Directed by Professor Allan Novak from the Creative School, followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments will be served.
