Holocaust Education Week - November 1-9, 2010

TORONTO, Oct. 28 /CNW/ - UJA Federation's 30^th Annual Holocaust Education Week (HEW) runs from November 1 to November 9, 2010 with events throughout the GTA and Ontario. HEW, organized by UJA Federation's Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, is the world's largest Holocaust education event, with over 140 educational and cultural programs.

This year's Holocaust Education Week is themed "We Who Survived," honouring Holocaust survivors and the importance of survivor testimony.  The opening program on November 1 will feature Steven D. Smith, founder of the UK Holocaust Centre and one of the world's leading advocates of Holocaust Education and genocide prevention, together with Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter. Smith and Gutter will share their remarkable story about how Smith was able to release Gutter's memories that had been suppressed since the Holocaust. Today, the two men are close friends.

The closing program, November 9^th at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, will commemorate Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when from November 9-10, 1938, a massive, coordinated state-sponsored attack was carried out against Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses throughout Germany and Austria. Survivors of Kristallnacht will participate in a solemn candle-lighting ceremony. Ephraim Kaye, Director of the International Seminars at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, will be the guest speaker.  Mr. Kaye will present a unique project developed with Hebrew University and Yad Vashem that preserves the legacies of Holocaust survivors. The project consists of eight films that follow eight survivors as they journey back to their birthplaces. The films explore life before, during and in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

In addition to the events throughout the week which include concerts, film screenings and lectures, over 55 Holocaust survivors will share their diverse experiences through speaking engagements at local schools, libraries, community centers, synagogues and churches. There are over 20 church sponsored events, organized by the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto. Additionally, there are programs sponsored by Polish, Armenian, Roma and gay community organizations.

The full schedule of Holocaust Education Week programs is available at www.holocausteducationweek.com.  Most programs are free of charge.

CTV is the media sponsor for Holocaust Education Week.

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For further information:

Media Contact:

Leigh Brown, Public and Media Relations
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto 
Phone: [phone] | [email protected] /www.jewishtoronto.com