Demand for CHES Speakers Proliferates

By CHES Secretary Marion Silver

The Holocaust is becoming more and more relegated to the fog of history and fewer and fewer individuals are aware of its grim reality. Ontario has taken the positive initiative of adding mandatory education on the Holocaust to the curriculum in Grades 6 and 10. Consequently, teachers contacted CHES in greater numbers to provide their students with first-hand experiences by witnesses to the atrocities. This past academic year alone saw growing interest in opportunities for Holocaust survivors or their descendants to visit educational institutions, either in person or virtually, in the Ottawa area and as far away as Kingston and Simcoe County.

The number of Holocaust survivors diminishes each year, notably with the passing of long- time participant, Elly Bollegraaf. She spoke eloquently of her experience as a hidden child during the Holocaust and was able to create a unique bond with the students.

To meet the increasing demand for speakers to classrooms, under the able administration of CHES Director Kara Goodwin, CHES launched, CHES launched the CHES initiative, Through Their Eyes, to encourage children of survivors to take on the role of speaking in the classrooms. Along with seasoned speakers Tibor Egervari, Judy Young Drache, Kati Morrison, Tova Clark, and Dr. Agnes Klein, second-generation speakers visited more than 20 schools and presented in English and French to approximately 1,725 students. Added to the roster of speakers are Sue Hurtubise, Phil Emberley, Agneta Gibson, Stan Farber, Catherine Coulter, Harry Cohn, and Artur Wilczynski.

That the presentations by speakers are impactful can be seen by a sample of the comments CHES has received:

“It was so amazing to have Phil visit both history classes today. It meant so much to hear Phil’s compelling story. I had some great feedback from the kids in my afternoon class.” Jaden Lairson, History Teacher, Grade 10, Woodroffe High School

“On behalf of the teachers and students here at LDHSS, we want to extend our appreciation for the time you [Phil] have taken to speak with our students about your father and your family’s history. The story you shared and the engagement with the students were truly wonderful.”  Samuel Gauzas, History Teacher, Grade 10, Longfields Davidson Heights Secondary School

“This was an incredible experience for my students and many of them were very appreciative of being able to meet with Kati and hear her story.” Adam Kuypers, History Teacher, Grade 10, Elmvale District High School, Simcoe County

“I am happy to note that, over the years, Artur has become a “favourite” guest speaker, and I am grateful that he has been able to make himself available to be a “repeat guest” at Sir Robert Borden High School … Artur demonstrated that there is strength to be gained through confronting hardship, and he emphasized how important it is to not allow hatred, discrimination, and misinformation to get in the way of personal growth and development … Artur puts a great deal of energy and passion into his deliveries, and his audience responded very well to this … My students also wrote thought-share responses for Artur wherein they enthusiastically expressed their appreciation for his visit, provided additional commentary regarding the relevance of his presentation …”  Kenra Mroz, Grade 12 Teacher, English and Social Justice, Sir Robert Borden High School

“I want to thank you on behalf of Lakeview Public School and the Grade 6 students for sharing your time to educate the students about the Holocaust and sharing your mother’s story. It made a big impact on the students and I have enclosed letters of thanks from them.”