23rd ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE
HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE

We proudly present the 23rd Annual Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention Symposium at Vanier College!

The underlying aim of this programme is to inform young people about discrimination, racism, and genocide in their many manifestations, and to help them learn about history in order to avoid repeating mistakes of the past.

Eyewitness and first-hand accounts are often the best motivators to spark students into awareness, concern, and action. We are fortunate to have among us Holocaust survivors and righteous gentiles who will offer their personal testimonies. This year’s presenters also includes a number of young people involved in exposing post-Holocaust genocides in Cambodia, Darfur, and Rwanda.

One of the main strengths of the Symposium, is the way important lessons about ethical citizenship and moral courage find their way into the classroom. Participating students and teachers alike wrestle with these challenges in the context of their courses in psychology, sociology, English, Humanities, journalism, and history. The events of the Symposium take place in ongoing classes and are open to the public. The event is partnered by Vanier College and the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service.

With more than 6,500 students representing close to 90 nationalities, Vanier College is the most culturally diverse Cegep in Quebec. Many of the students are first generation immigrants. The events of the symposium result in students being better able to link historical events to people’s lives as well as critically examining historical documents and to express intelligent and well supported arguments.


The schedule includes the following speakers:

Hermann Gruenwald: A survivor’s tale

Benedikt Baratsits-Gruber: Moral Responsibility

Corrie Sirota: Stand Up, Don’t Stand By

Paul Herczeg: Lessons from a Graduate of Auschwitz and Dachau

Yehudi Lindeman: The Other Being Different and Making A Difference

Morton Weinfeld: Antisemitism in Canada

Heidi Burger: Witnesses to Murder

Eva Kuper: Hidden Children

Al Gilbert: Escape and Survival in Belgium and England

Jack Jedwab: Racism in a Canadian Context

Gina Roitman: My Mother, the Nazi Midwife, and Me

Nakuset: The Residential School System

Jacky Vallée: The Pink Triangle