CHES and JFO Present Joint Sessions
CHES has been working closely with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa (JFO) to address antisemitism in Ottawa schools. Following an incident of antisemitism at St Francis Xavier High School at the Grade 8 level, Principal Sean Power approached CHES for help. CHES board director Artur Wilczynski and David Sachs, JFO Community Relations Specialist, worked together to create a presentation for the students that included personal narratives, the history of antisemitism, Ottawa’s Jewish Community, the effects of antisemitism, and what they hoped students would take away and do with this information.
The presentation was delivered on December 17th. Students were very attentive and the review from the teachers and principal was very positive. CHES was asked to provide this conversation across the OCSB’s 67 elementary schools and 16 high schools.
On January 31st, Artur and David gave another joint presentation, also to combat antisemitism, to 70 teachers from Sir Robert Borden High School. This too was at the invitation of the principal, Matt Gagnier, following an antisemitic incident at the school. Artur and David spoke to two groups: The first consisted of 50 high school teachers and the second addressed 20 intermediate schoolteachers. Both sessions were attended by senior staff of the OCDSB. As at the December presentation, the teachers were receptive and eager to learn from both presenters.
Feedback from the sessions was overwhelmingly positive and were considered by the educators to be effective in learning how to combat antisemitism and in providing local content.
“CHES and the JFO will continue to work together and with other Jewish community organizations to engage the OCDSB and other school boards in countering antisemitism,” said CHES chair Mina Cohn. “Community-based approaches to the issue are essential in providing relevant content to students and educators. CHES will continue this engagement as part of its core mission to provide Holocaust Education and combat antisemitism.”
