Holocaust Education 2025:
22nd Annual Holocaust Education Week: November 2025
Holocaust Education Programs for the General Public, Students, & Educators: All programs are FREE and open to the public.
Tuesday, November 4 | 6:30 PM | Holocaust Education: Memory, Meaning, and Contemporary Antisemitism | Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road.
Join Alex Maws (Association of Jewish Refugees, London, UK) and Jody Spiegel (Azrieli Foundation, Canada) in a wide-ranging conversation about the urgency of Holocaust education in today’s world with a particular emphasis on recognizing and confronting contemporary antisemitism.
Together, they’ll reflect on lessons from the past, the challenges of teaching difficult history, and the power of personal testimony to shape understanding and empathy.
Moderated by Olga Milosevich, the evening will explore how Holocaust memory can illuminate contemporary conversations on antisemitism, human rights, and belonging.
Alex Maws, an international expert from the United Kingdom with over 20 years of experience. As the Head of Education and Heritage at the Association of Jewish Refugees, London, UK, Alex champions and evaluates programs across the UK. Alex partners with UNESCO and other international organizations to train educators and policy makers globally on issues relating to the Holocaust and antisemitism. He is a current member of the UK delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Jody Spiegel, Director, Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, The Azrieli Foundation, Toronto, and a current member of the Canadian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Olga Milosevich hosted 2 CBC Radio network shows, “Weekender” and “Music Alive” and worked as host and producer of the regional arts show “Connections” and produced a daily arts report for “Mainstreet”. She retired in July 2012. In November 2012, in recognition of her community service, she received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
(This program will also be livestreamed in Atlantic Canada: link posted here prior to the program).
Wednesday, November 5 | Exhibition Opening: St. Louis: Ship of Fate | 6PM – 8PM with opening remarks at 6:30PM | Chase Gallery, Nova Scotia Archives | 6016 University Avenue, Halifax, NS.
This exhibit was developed as a partnership project of the Atlantic Jewish Council and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and will be on view at the Chase Gallery from November 5 – 26, during gallery hours.
About the St. Louis fateful voyage: On May 13, 1939, over 900 German Jews fled the rising violence of Nazi Germany aboard St. Louis ship. Bound for Havana, they had Cuban tourism visas, but just as the liner left, Cuban officials changed the rules. The plight of the St. Louis passengers made headlines around the world. After the United States and Canada refused entry to the ship carrying the Jewish passengers, it was forced to return to Europe. Shortly afterwards the Nazis began their program of genocide, rounding up and murdering the Jews of Europe.
Student Programs: Halifax, NS & Atlantic Canada
November 6 – 26 | Exhibition: St. Louis: Ship of Fate | Chase Gallery, Nova Scotia Archives | 6016 University Ave., Halifax, NS.
This exhibit was developed as a partnership project of the Atlantic Jewish Council and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
This exhibit features large bilingual panels and artifacts appropriate for students in Grades 6 to 12.
About the St. Louis fateful voyage: On May 13, 1939, over 900 German Jews fled the rising violence of Nazi Germany aboard St. Louis ship. Bound for Havana, they had Cuban tourism visas, but just as the liner left, Cuban officials changed the rules. The plight of the St. Louis passengers made headlines around the world. After the United States and Canada refused entry to the ship carrying the Jewish passengers, it was forced to return to Europe. Shortly afterwards the Nazis began their program of genocide, rounding up and murdering the Jews of Europe.
Schools can pre-book student visits to the exhibit from November 6 to 26. To pre-book, or for additional information, please contact: Edna LeVine, Director of Community Engagement, Atlantic Jewish Council, engagement at theajc.ca
Student Program in Atlantic Canada: November 3 – 30 | Short Film: Escape: The True Story of Morris Schnitzer (Riddle Films, The Azrieli Foundation, 2025, animated short film, 20 minutes, Canada)
Please register to receive a link to the film and a classroom activity for students. The link will be active during the month of November. Please contact: Edna LeVine, Director of Community Engagement, Atlantic Jewish Council, engagement at theajc.ca
Professional Development Day for Educators | Halifax, NS, and Livestreamed in Atlantic Canada.
Monday, November 3 | 10AM – 3PM | FREE to attend, lunch included, + reimbursement of 50% of release time | Chase Gallery, Nova Scotia Archives | 6016 University Ave., Halifax, NS.
Best Practices in Holocaust Education
Information on session speakers:
We are honoured to host Alex Maws, an international expert from the United Kingdom with over 20 years of experience. As the Head of Education and Heritage at the Association of Jewish Refugees, London, UK, Alex champions and evaluates programs across the UK. Alex partners with UNESCO and other international organizations to train educators and policy makers globally on issues relating to the Holocaust and antisemitism. He is a current member of the UK delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Jody Spiegel, Director, Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, The Azrieli Foundation, Toronto, and a current member of the Canadian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, joins the session to provide classroom resources and information on trauma-informed teaching and best practices in Holocaust education.
Given the importance of addressing antisemitism and equipping educators with the knowledge and resources to do so effectively, our hope is that this session will strengthen our commitment to fostering understanding, inclusivity, and historical awareness.
To register for the professional development session, or for additional information, please contact: Edna LeVine, Director of Community Engagement, Atlantic Jewish Council, engagement at theajc.ca
In case you missed it! Events 2025:
January 21, 2025: Program to commemorate Raoul Wallenberg Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In honour of Raoul Wallenberg Commemoration Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Atlantic Jewish Council in partnership with the University of King’s College present a talk with award-winning author Kenny Fries, “Stumbling Over History: Disability and the Holocaust”.
- Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 7PM.
- Alumni Hall, University of King’s College, 6350 Coburg Rd. (in the New Academic Building).
- This program will be livestreamed:
January 21, Livestream link please click here
Holocaust Survivor Short Films: The Azrieli Series
Below is a link to the Azrieli Foundation Series of 25 Holocaust survivor short films.
Included in this series is Helena Jockel Z”L (1919 -2016) testimony, recorded in her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Jockel’s memoirs, We Sang in Hushed Voices, was published by the Azrieli Foundation in 2014. When the Nazis invade Hungary on March 19, 1944, all elementary school teacher Helena Jockel can think about is how to save “her” children. She accompanies them to Auschwitz-Birkenau only to see them taken to the gas chamber. In her clear-eyed and heartbreaking account of living and surviving in the camp and on a death march, she records both the too-brief moments of beauty and kindness and the unremitting cruelty. After the war, as she renews her passion for teaching under a Communist regime that will not allow her to speak about the Holocaust, Helena refuses to hide the fact that she is Jewish. Helena’s memoirs include an introduction by Dr. Dorota Glowacka.
The Holocaust Education Week program with Shimon & Peggy Walt, in conversation with Olga Milosevich, has been rescheduled to the evening of Wednesday, April 23, Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) at the Halifax Central Library. Details coming soon.
In case you missed it! Past program links: 2024
Cancellation Notice for November 6: Closing Program for Holocaust Education Week
We regret to inform you that the Holocaust Education Week closing program with Shimon & Peggy Walt on Wednesday evening, November 6, at the Halifax Central Library, has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We greatly appreciate your understanding. We are working to re-schedule.
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In case you missed it! Recorded Holocaust Education Week Programs:
Opening: Sunday, October 27, 2024 | “Jewish Lament Poetry Across 2500 Years”
Keynote Speaker: Eva Mroczek, Simon and Riva Spatz Chair in Jewish Studies, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. Opening Remarks: Dr. Jim Spatz, Executive Chairman Southwest Properties
Eva Mroczek is Associate Professor in the Department of Classics at Dalhousie University and the Simon and Riva Spatz Chair in Jewish Studies | Link to: Recorded Program
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Friday, November 1, 2024 | Keynote Speaker: Dorota Glowacka, Professor of Humanities, University of King’s College. Opening Remarks: U.S. Consul General Viki Limaye.
“Hidden Words: The Holocaust Through the Eyes of Young Diary Writers”
Dorota Glowacka is Professor of Humanities at the University of King’s College, Halifax. Link to: Recorded Program CONTENT WARNING: This program contains mature content.
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Monday, November 4, 2024 (recorded on November 5, at the student program). Keynote Speaker: Eva Kuper, Holocaust survivor, in conversation with Elin Beaumont, Special Events and Holocaust Survivor Relations, The Azrieli Foundation. Recorded Program with Eva Kuper
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CANCELLED: Wednesday, November 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Keynote Speakers: Peggy and Shimon Walt.
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Holocaust Education Week 2024
Holocaust Education Week is presented by the Atlantic Jewish Council, and made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Azrieli Foundation. Programs offered are in partnership with the University of King’s College, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Dalhousie University, and with support from the Halifax Central Library.