Newsletter – September 2023

Words from Chair Mina Cohn

I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer despite the rain, storms, and heat. While the unsettled weather was difficult for many, it did not impede CHES’ progress. Intense effort went into developing the much-needed Through Their Eyes project, making substantial progress with the IWalk project, and planning for Holocaust Education Month in November.

On July 11th, we were pleased to see many familiar and new faces at the launch of our Through Their Eyes project. Choosing to honour the memory of their family members and the lessons and legacy of the Holocaust, participants arrived eager to learn about the program’s objectives and plans. A second meeting followed on August 15th featuring a panel that included Kenra Mroz, a member of the CHES Education Committee, CHES board member Artur Wilczynski, and CHES member Phil Emberley, and myself. 

On August 10th, Artur, Kenra, and I, representing CHES, and Marilyn Sinclair of Liberation 75, welcomed Lesly Culp and Sedda Antekelian from the USC Shoah Foundation for a day-long review of our IWalk project that included a full day workshop and a two-hour visit to the National Holocaust Monument. Joining us at the Monument were key Federal Government partners such as the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Capital Commission, and the War Museum. “Lesly and I were very pleased with our visit to Ottawa, and especially to experience the National Holocaust Monument first-hand. Its scope and modern design are indeed impressive,” said Sedda. 

The development of lesson plans for the New Grade 6 Social Science curriculum is progressing well and will be introduced in a two-day Teachers’ Workshop in November. At the end of August, Alyssa Novick of Ashbury College travelled with me to Montreal to research the survival story of Ted Ingberg, my mother’s cousin and one of the one thousand Jewish Holocaust orphans allowed into Canada in 1947. Ted’s story, with its authentic Holocaust immigration documents, will be included in the lesson plan, Immigration Then and Now, that we are developing for the Grade 6 Social Science Curriculum.

Our Pre-IWalk tours have been a remarkable success and requests for bookings for this academic year are already coming in. With every pre-IWalk visit, CHES gains additional insight into interpretation needs which continue to enrich the development of the IWalk App.

I am pleased to report that we plan to return to an in-person Holocaust Education Month event, beginning with the launch in memory of Kristallnacht. The launch will showcase an untold story of women’s underground resilience with an Ottawa connection. The event will take place at the Canadian History Museum Theatre.

On behalf of the CHES Board of Directors, I want to thank Caroline Dromaguet, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum, for her help, support, and kind cooperation. Her generosity made our August 10th gathering very special. Warm thanks also to Sasha Kathron, Director of Youth Education and Programming, and Jeremy Rosenberg, Executive Director at Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue, for their assistance and hospitality with our Descendants project.