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Ellin speaks to 700 high school students at Danforth Collegiate Institute Thursday Nov. 8, 2018
November 1, 2018 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT
On the day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to apologize to the Jewish community of Canada for turning away a boatload of German Jewish refugees in 1939 who were seeking asylum from Hitler’s Nazi policies and the Final Solution of the Holocaust, Ellin shares the story of the 17,000 Canadian Jewish soldiers who fought for Canada in WWII to liberate Europe and rescue the survivors of the Holocaust.
100th Anniversary Remembrance Day Panel — This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War l and signing of the Armistice, ultimately leading to the establishment of Remembrance Day. Approximately 700 Grade 10 students from Danforth CTI, Greenwood SS, East York CI, Monarch Park CI, and Malvern CI will have the opportunity to hear from the Indigenous, Jewish, Sikh, Black, and Chinese communities and participate in discussion about the diverse communities who served their country, despite widespread discrimination against them at home, and in the ranks, and on the battlefield.
Speakers will discuss soldiers from their communities who served in World War l and ll and other wars, their experiences, and challenges both before they left and when they came home. As a point of interest, Danforth has the recognized distinction of having the greatest number of students, graduates, teachers, and other staff enlist in the military during the Second World War than any other school in the British Commonwealth.
There will also be pop-up exhibits on display.
The Panel:
• Arlene Chan, Historian and Author, “The Chinese in Toronto from 1878: From Outside to Inside the Circle”
• Ellin Bessner, Professor of Journalism, Centennial College, and Author, “Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War ll”
• Pardeep Nagra, TDSB Manager of Employment Equity, Executive Director of the Sikh Museum of Canada
• Kathy Grant, Historian and Founder, “Black Canadian Veterans’ Stories of War”, Board Member, Ontario Black History Society; and Sheila White, both grandparents served Canada in the First World War
• Elder Joanne Dallaire, Elder for Ryerson University, Ryerson’s Aboriginal Education Council, and the Truth and Reconciliation directive for ten years; and Member, TDSB’s Aboriginal Community Advisory Committee
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute, 800 Greenwood Ave, Toronto, ON M4J 4B7
Contact: Shari Schwartz-Maltz, TDSB Media Relations, 416-518-5551