Why we do what we do
The Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) was established in 2015 as a community-based volunteer organization to address the growing need for Holocaust Education, given the rise in antisemitism around the world and within Ottawa.
With charitable status (CRA registration: 771126331), CHES’ mandate is to offer educational programs and to present events in Ottawa that target antisemitism and promote knowledge and understanding of the history and legacy of the Holocaust. Through its work, CHES builds bridges based on understanding, knowledge, memory, and communication.
To fulfill its educational mandate, CHES offers year-round programming to combat antisemitism, prejudice, and racism, and promote respect for diversity and human rights. CHES events attract a wide audience within and outside the Jewish community including diplomats, government representatives, community leaders, educators, students, and the general public.
CHES plays an essential role in preserving the voices of survivors who have made Ottawa their home. Holocaust survivors and their families contribute to the diverse fabric of Ottawa. CHES seeks out, recognizes, and promotes their many contributions to ensure that their stories are preserved. There remains an ongoing, urgent need to offer quality educational programs and educator training on the Holocaust and antisemitism, and survivors’ voices, through the CHES Speakers’ Bureau, remains vitally important to this work.
Since its establishment, CHES has experienced remarkable growth, reaching out to thousands within the Ottawa area and beyond. CHES projects include the annual Holocaust Education Month programs, outreach to schools with an annual Teachers’ Workshop, a Speakers’ Bureau, and recording and sharing the testimonials of local survivors. CHES also develops events in cooperation with embassies, institutions in Ottawa, and numerous national and international organizations. Our strength lies in our dedicated team of volunteers whose vision and passion are the driving forces behind the establishment of the Centre in our nation’s capital.
Students who learn about the Holocaust use critical thinking, develop societal awareness, and examine personal values. More than one aspect of World War II, the Holocaust was a defining moment in history that spanned geographic boundaries and affected many societies.
From 2020 to 2022, CHES adjusted to the reality of COVID-19 by using webinars and Zoom to deliver its programs and communicate with its members and supporters.
Learn more about the work CHES is doing:
CHES Program Highlights
The Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) is the premier hub for Holocaust Education in Ottawa with programs that focus on remembrance, combating antisemitism, community engagement, and outreach to schools.
- Preserves the memories of Ottawa’s Holocaust survivors through recorded testimonials
- Organizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Ottawa on January 27th
- Participates in the National Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa with the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem as a member of the Zachor Coalition
- Participates in the virtual cross-Canada Yom Hashoah Remembrance
- Organizes Zikaron Basalon programs, a new, engaging, and intimate way for sharing memories of the Holocaust
- Organizes Holocaust Education Month programs in Ottawa each November with a rich array of activities in a variety of venues, including an opening event with an esteemed keynote speaker
- Provides programs for 2nd and 3rd Generations of Holocaust survivors, and empowers the next generations to honour their families’ experiences and share testimony.
- Offers year-round programming designed to combat prejudice and racism and promote respect for diversity, social justice, and human rights in our region
- Provides educational and enrichment opportunities about antisemitism and racism to law-enforcement organizations
- Reaches over 10,000 Ontario teachers and students annually with our programs
- Provides Ottawa teachers with free resources including annual workshops with educational and enrichment opportunities regarding the Holocaust and antisemitism
- Addresses the many challenges faced by schools’ Equity and Diversity teams
- Creates highly focused, Holocaust Education programs, plans, and hands-on materials which are directly linked Ontario Ministry of Education’s educational requirements.
- Recognizes an Ottawa teacher for exemplary work in Holocaust education with the annual Ari van Mansum Award
- Coordinates visits by Holocaust Survivors and children of survivors of to Ottawa schools, universities, and other educational institutions
- Provides opportunities for March of the Living (MOL) students to engage with survivors
- Participants in across Canada Liberation 75 symposiums for teachers
- Provides training for descendants of Holocaust survivors, empowering them to join our Speakers’ Bureau