Observed since 1982, Holocaust Education Week (HEW) is an internationally recognized week honouring the survivors of the Holocaust and commemorating those lost to the Nazis. Annually, this week is observed during the first week of November, and takes place during the 4th to 10th in 2024. 

The content shared during this week may be triggering for some staff and students. However, acknowledging HEW aligns with our commitment to acknowledging and learning about historical and current experiences of systemic oppression. Understanding historical harms provides the learning necessary for a future free of antisemitism and genocide. HEW is also a time to acknowledge the resiliency of Jewish Canadians and their contributions to Canadian culture.

From 1933-1945, the Nazi Germany regime was responsible for the state-sanctioned, persecution and killing of six million Jewish people and 5 million non-Jewish people. This was because they were classified by the regime as racially or biologically inferior. This included:

  • Roma and Sinti people
  • LGBTQIA+ people
  • People with disabilities
  • Slavic peoples
  • Afro-descendant people
  • Other identifying groups

Almost 80 million people died in World War II, the global war that brought an end to the Nazi Regime in Germany.

The MS St. Louis, pictured above, carried Jewish-German passengers fleeing the Nazi State to Cuba, where most were denied entry. Under Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King, the Canadian government chose not to admit the passengers into Canada, a decision rooted in a persistent climate of antisemitic exclusion.

Read more about the harrowing story of the St. Louis.

Learn the stories of Canadian Holocaust Survivors through the Toronto Holocaust Museum.


This year in honour of Holocaust Education Week, the provincial government has announced their investment in $551,000 in funding for additional resources to help educators combat antisemitism in schools.

Read more about this investment.

As we navigate this week, our hope is that never again at any time for anyone, should none be too many.

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