L’affaire Bedford: A scandal in a Montreal public school re-ignites a debate over funding private religious education
Muslim influence raises alarm over violating secular education rules.
Doctors were centrally complicit in the Holocaust. What are the lessons for Canadian medical schools today?
A special report published for Holocaust Education Week: Nov. 4-10, 2024.
Peel school board’s move to add ‘Nakba Remembrance Day’ to its calendar spurs objections from Jewish parents—and the Ontario education ministry
Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce is joining calls from Jewish parents and educators urging the Peel District School Board to reverse a decision to list Nakba Remembrance Day as an observance on the board’s calendar of significant days. Arabic for “catastrophe,” the Nakba refers to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, also known in Israel as […]
Treasure Trove: David Matlow remembers a courageous Jewish educator from Berlin
Paula Furst (1894-1942) was a German educator who trained in the Montessori method and opened the first Montessori class in Berlin in 1926. When the Nazis seized power in 1933, Montessori education was banned as it was considered incompatible with Nazi ideology, in part because of its focus on the individualism of the child. Furst was […]
Public school board now investigating a Peel Region principal’s social media post disputing a rise in antisemitism
The principal of a Peel Region public school will not be at work while the school board investigates a social media post that appears to dismiss or distort reports of rising antisemitism in the Greater Toronto Area. Peel District School Board (PDSB) officials confirmed that Rich Ward, the principal of Tribune Drive Public School in […]
Jewish schools are ramping up mental health support for students after the Hamas attacks
Following the Hamas attacks in Israel Oct. 7, Jewish schools across Canada have increased the mental and emotional support systems for students who may have family affected by the war or have viewed the graphic and horrific images coming from the attacks. The impact of the war was felt immediately at Winnipeg’s Gray Academy of […]
Obituary: Fanny Wedro, 95, a passionate force for Holocaust education in Calgary
Fanny Wedro, a ubiquitous presence in Calgary’s Jewish community and an unrelenting campaigner for Holocaust education in Alberta, died on Aug. 21 – four days short of her 96th birthday. “Fanny would say that the first time in her life she ever felt tired was when she turned 95,” said Marnie Bondar, co-chair of Holocaust […]
Treasure Trove: As children head back to school, David Matlow explores a perilous time for Jewish students
As school opens this week, we have the opportunity for a brief moment to consider the experience of Jewish students going back to school in Vienna in 1938. After the Nazi Anschluss (annexation) of Austria in 1938, a young Viennese rabbi, Wolf Gottlieb, sought permission from the Nazi authorities under Adolf Eichmann for the Jewish […]
New incentive program is offering families up to $100,000 to move to Ottawa and enrol in day school
A Jewish day school in Ottawa is offering families up to $100,000 to relocate to the city and become part of the growing Jewish community there. The incentive is part of Torah Day School of Ottawa’s creative new program, which offers the money to families who move to Ottawa between August 2023 and July 2024 […]
An antisemitic incident at an Ottawa high school has led to charges for two students
Two students are facing criminal charges after an antisemitic incident at an Ottawa high school in December. The students, who are not named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have been charged with public incitement of hatred, mischief and criminal harassment, Ottawa Police Services said in a press release, issued Jan. 10. On Dec. 1, […]
