Shalom Village Leadership Prioritizes Holocaust & Antisemitism Education for Staff Training

Margaret’s Legacy had the privilege of welcoming staff from Shalom Village to our Holocaust Learning & Jewish Advocacy Centre for a powerful and timely training session in partnership with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Canada.

At a time when antisemitism continues to evolve in both subtle and overt ways, this gathering served as an important reminder: education cannot remain static.

The session focused not only on the historical realities of the Holocaust, but on how those lessons translate into today’s world. How misinformation spreads quickly, language shifts, and the lines between education, advocacy, and response are increasingly becoming more and more blurred.

This experience was especially meaningful because 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 incidents. 

Since Shalom Village is a publicly funded home, it’s residents come from all different affiliations and backgrounds. Educating staff about potential challenges facing Jewish residents is only part of the puzzle. It’s also important to give caregivers the tools to remain attuned to their own personal bias, the way colleagues behave toward residents, as well as interactions between residents themselves, ensuring everyone feels safe and secure in their environment. 

Holocaust education is not just about facts and dates. It’s about becoming more aware of what is happening around us and knowing how to respond when challenges arise.

It requires tools. Together, we explored:

• how antisemitism can show up today
  

• how historical patterns repeat in new forms
  

• and how to engage in conversations that are often uncomfortable, but necessary

This type of education, when done well, helps build confidence, compassion, communication, a greater sense of community and most importantly, helps all of us achieve moral clarity. 

At Margaret’s Legacy, we are working to preserve history. More importantly, we are encouraging people to explore what that knowledge means to us right now, in today’s world. When future generations look back at today as history, what will they think of the legacy we have left behind?

Kudos to Marianne Klein, Shalom Village’s CEO for prioritizing community engagement and transformative learning initiatives for her staff.

Thank you so much to our longstanding partner, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for facilitating this staff training. Partnerships like this one reflect a shared commitment to ensuring that Holocaust education remains relevant, practical, and grounded in real-world application.