By Kenra Mroz
CHES is an active Community Partner that has provided the OCDSB’s and OCSB’s teachers with nine successful workshops to date. Our workshops are also useful and appropriate for post-secondary-level educators. World War II continues to impart important lessons to society, despite the passage of over 80 years, about how the Holocaust provides one of the most effective subjects for examining moral issues and the effects of resistance, resilience, and empathy. The current climate of antisemitism, which includes both denial and distortion, as well as an increased overall global focus upon equity and diversity issues, necessitates a robust response from educators.
The study of the Holocaust presents teachers with the challenge of teaching an unprecedented historical event in a limited time with no training. To help educators meet this challenge, CHES organizes annual Teachers’ Workshops providing much needed, highly focused, Holocaust-education programs, plans, and hands-on materials which are directly linked to the school boards’ educational outcomes. Through its Teachers’ Workshop and the Speakers Bureau, CHES is reaching, on average, 10,000 students a year.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Congregation Beth Shalom Legacy Fund Committee, this year’s virtual Teachers’ Workshop event shall offer several meaningful and relevant opportunities for educators to explore and use.
Entitled “Testimonies of the Holocaust, Inspiring Change Through Legacy: In-Depth Exploration of the Voices of Holocaust Survivors”, the 2021 workshop shall be based upon the testimonies of Ottawa-area Holocaust survivors recorded by CHES in June 2016 (https://chesatottawa.ca/ottawa-holocaust-survivors-testimonials-full-length/).
In focusing specifically upon the lived experiences of local Survivors, the workshop and its associated resources and lesson plans aims to safely guide educators and students — specifically at the intermediate, secondary, and post-secondary levels — through an enriching and thought-provoking learning journey wherein, together, they shall reflect upon and discuss the important connection between Holocaust history and legacy and current social justice and human rights issues. The lessons developed for this workshop include an overview of the Holocaust using authentic digital material, with a review of antisemitism from past to present. The last set will include an action-oriented piece that will engage students with the intent to help them reflect on their learning and create a response using their choice of social media.
In addition to providing educators with readily available and accessible resources, including lesson plans, hands-on activities, and access to a wide variety of speakers and supportive contacts, the Teachers’ Workshop shall also include activity and discussion opportunities for its participants during the virtual even itself.
The workshop facilitators are both members of CHES. Sophia Mirzayee is a first-generation Afghan-Canadian from Ottawa. She has a B.A. in Human Rights and an M.A. in Education, with a special emphasis in the pedagogy of human rights and social justice. Kenra Mroz co-ordinates Sir Robert Borden High School’s Social Justice Club. She is a graduate of the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem’s seminar program for Holocaust educators. Both Sophia and Kenra are looking forward to working with educators in order to promote an understanding of current issues involving discrimination, racism, and antisemitism, as well as to encourage equity and diversity in schools and in our global community.
The Teachers’ Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, November 24th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The free workshop material and lesson plans will be available on the CHES website.
To register: https://bit.ly/CHESnov24
