Holocaust Education Week is ultimately about more than remembrance. It is about ensuring that the lessons of the past continue to inform how individuals and communities respond to hatred, discrimination, and injustice today. We are grateful to the educators, speakers, partners, and participants who made this week possible, and to everyone who took the time to engage with this important work.

Students from Hillel McMaster shared personal reflections on what Kristallnacht means for their generation. Their words highlighted the importance of Jewish identity, pride, and presence on campus today. Historian Pamela Swett shared insights into the events of 1938 and helping frame the evening’s featured presentation: the Canadian avant-premiere of Among Neighbours.

The room was full of people who have chosen helping professions as their careers. Care providers. Staff members who make a difference in the lives of Hamilton's aging population. Individuals who are on the frontlines of community life. Those who interact daily with senior citizens who are not immune to the growing pandemic of antisemitism. In fact, in some ways they can be more susceptible to online bullying and vulnerable to overt and more subtle kinds of racially motivated

Marking Kristallnacht in this way, through images, stories, and shared reflections on how different perspectives can greatly impact perception of facts, reminds us that the warning signs of hatred are not always loud. They aren’t always bold signs or loud rallies with angry participants screaming in your face. Often they are subtle. Sometimes they appear gradually. Quietly. Incrementally. Manipulated in imperceptible ways until the damage has been done.

The inaugural Tom Weisz Memorial Award for was presented to MP, Melissa Lantsman. As a Member of Parliament and one of the most prominent Jewish voices in Canadian public life today, Melissa Lantsman has consistently used her platform to confront antisemitism directly and unapologetically. At a time when conversations around antisemitism can be complex, politicized, or avoided altogether, her leadership has been defined by moral clarity, conviction, and a willingness stand up

Our first official event following the opening was the community’s annual Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration. Victoria Mancinelli and Yoni Berrous were the keynote speakers followed by the exclusive Hamilton premiere of Irena’s Vows, a powerful film based on the true story of Irena Gut.