TDSB partners with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center to provide educate program on the Holocaust

After a series of antisemitic incidents at Toronto District School Board schools, the TDSB has partnered with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre to provide educational programs on the Holocaust.

The centre has been offering its “Tour for Humanity” for just under a decade. In that time, it has reached over 100,000 students in an RV refitted into a 30-seat classroom.

The program is offered to anyone between grade three to grade 12 and uses multimedia and interactive components to teach students about the Holocaust, among other topics.

“We do, of course, address the Holocaust as well as issues from bullying to racism to discrimination, but we do it in a way that the bus becomes a safe space,” said tour director Daniella Lurion.

Lurion said they cater the tutorial based on the age of those taking the course.

“We try to be as sensitive as we possibly can, and obviously, the content that we would show to a high school level course varies considerably to what we would show to a grade three or four classrooms,” she explained.

“So, we have found in the past that kids are willing to open up and relate to the material in ways that they may not relate to other content and other classrooms. We do our best to certainly avoid any potential triggers or traumatizing imagery, graphics, or things like that. But we want them to come away with the facts of what happened.”

There have been several incidents of antisemitic and racist graffiti being painted on TDSB schools, and multiple arrests have been made in recent weeks.

Another incident in February saw a Valley Park Middle School teacher, who is Jewish, surrounded by students who displayed the Heil Hitler salute. There were also other incidents involving students displaying swastikas.

Lurion said they were dismayed that this was the way their partnership with the TDSB came about, but they are thankful for the opportunity to provide an immersive learning experience.

“I certainly think the rise of social media and misinformation online fuels a lot of what we’re seeing today,” said Lurion.

“We’ve, unfortunately, recently seen, the swastika has become almost commonplace. We’re constantly getting reports, including at some TDSB schools, of swastikas of antisemitic incidents and things like that. I think a lot of it is brought online.”

“There’s a lot of misinformation that they’re exposed to. So, a good part of what we do is dispel myths and conspiracy theories that are unfortunately very prevalent right now,” she said.

The TDSB is encouraging individual schools to take part in the program, but at this point, it is not mandatory. The school board has also promoted a series of equity workshops offered by the FSWC that include lessons on the Holocaust with all schools.

“[Simon Wiesenthal] believed the Holocaust wasn’t just a Jewish story. It was a human story. And I think that’s also a very big part of it,” added Lurion.

“We talk about antisemitism, we talk about racism, discrimination. And the reality is that discrimination exists across time and space. Students as young as grade three can relate to when you say, ‘What does it feel like when someone treats you badly because of who you are?’ I think it’s incredibly critical, both for the younger students for content like that, but also for the older ones to, as I said, dispel misinformation and to have an actual understanding of what it means.”