Holocaust Education Week has been an internationally recognized week since 1982.  Traditionally commemorated in the first week of November, Holocaust Education Week honours the survivors of the Holocaust and commemorates the memories of  those murdered by the Nazis during World War II.  As a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, Holocaust Education Week is a time for me and my community to remember the 6 million Jewish people that died at the hands of the brutality of the Nazis and those that conspired with them.  The importance of Holocaust Education Week for Jewish Canadians is a time for our schools to teach about antisemitism. This is particularly important because Jewish Canadians remain the most targeted religious minority for hate crimes in Canada, according to a report published by Statistics Canada in 2021.   Since then hate crimes against the Jewish community have increased by over 500% making the Jewish community vulnerable and at risk on a daily basis.

Responding to the need of the Jewish community and learners in Ontario,  the Ontario government strengthened Holocaust education in our grade six and grade 10 classes making it mandatory to learn about political ideologies that promoted antisemitism in the past and today. Responding to acts of hate towards our Jewish community in elementary and secondary schools, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, identified that mandatory learning of Holocaust education in our schools will “ensure that students are never bystanders in the face of hate and division.”  Additionally, Lecce explained that it is the duty of our school system to “ensure that ‘Never Again’ is our legacy to the next generation.” How can our elementary schools ensure this if ETFO does not recognize the importance of this week in their Social Justice, Environmental, and Equity 2023-2024 calendar? 

The omission of Holocaust Education Week from the ETFO Social Justice, Environmental and Equity Days 2023-2024 calendar is not in line with the elementary Ontario curriculum and moreso, perplexing and hurtful to members of the Jewish community.   Because of this, we are asking that ETFO reread, revise, and republish the Social Justice, Environmental and Equity Days 2023-2024 calendar to include Holocaust Education Week in the month of November.

We ask that the revised Social Justice, Environmental and Equity Days 2023-2024 calendar be circulated to its members immediately so that the Jewish community does not feel marginalised, unrecognized, and unheard at a time when antisemitism is greatly on the rise in Ontario. The omission of Holocaust Education Week, a week of commemoration in Ontario and globally for over two decades, makes the Jewish community feel targeted by ETFO and we ask that you take immediate action in republishing and circulating this document to the ETFO community. 

See Ontario Government and News articles below for more details:

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1003724/ontario-strengthening-holocaust-education-in-high-schools​

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002465/ontario-strengthening-holocaust-education-to-counter-rising-antisemitism​

https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/key-changes-ss-g6​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mandatory-holocaust-education-schools-1.7015118​

https://nationalpost.com/news/hate-symbols-bomb-threats-death-threats-concerns-about-increase-in-antisemitism-in-canada​

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/corporate/transparency/open-government/standing-committee/ahmed-hussen-pch-contract-cmac/antisemitism-canada.html