The Ontario government is marking Holocaust Education Week (November 4 to 10) with an investment of $551,000 for additional resources to help students, families and educators combat antisemitism in schools. This funding reaffirms the province's commitment to fighting hate and racism, including antisemitism, to promote safe and welcoming communities in schools and beyond.
"Our government is increasing supports to help Ontario students gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the Holocaust to counter the alarming increase of antisemitism-related incidents," said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. "As the world recently marked the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack against Israel, our government is taking a strong stance against antisemitism, reiterating the need to support our Jewish friends and neighbours. Racism, hate and discrimination have no place in Ontario's schools and communities."
To help combat antisemitism, Ontario is providing $551,000 during the 2024-25 school year to the following organizations:
- Liberation75 - $140,000 to develop education resources on the Holocaust and antisemitism, including classroom materials, lesson plans and workshops for educators and students that combat racism and antisemitism in school boards across the province
- Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) - $150,000 toward Building Safer Schools: Enhancing Intercultural Competency and Supporting Jewish Learners and Educators, a program scheduled for release in Spring 2025 that provides educators, administrators and school staff with the training on skills and knowledge necessary to foster a more supportive and culturally responsive education setting. Funding will also support the Ontario Regional Intercultural Immersive Program, which is focused on learning about the Jewish identity and contemporary antisemitism, and is designed specifically for educators and school board leaders. The investment will also support the development of an accessible online platform for all Ontarians, offering learning modules and resources for parents, educators and the public
- Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies - $150,000 to expand the organization's capacity to deliver student-focused workshops in elementary and secondary schools on historical and contemporary antisemitism through a dedicated education specialist
- In addition to these resources, the Ontario government is also providing an investment of $111,000 to the following organizations to support the implementation of mandatory Holocaust learning in the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum:
- $47,000 to Liberation75
- $42,000 to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
- $22,000 to Toronto Holocaust Museum (United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto)
These resources and supports build on previous initiatives to combat antisemitism in Ontario elementary and high schools. Announced last fall, the province is implementing new and expanded learning about the Holocaust in the Grade 10 History curriculum starting September 2025. Additionally, last year Ontario introduced new mandatory learning on the Holocaust in the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum.
Quick Facts
- Holocaust Education Week is recognized every year during the first week of November and honours the survivors of the Holocaust and commemorates those murdered by the Nazis.
- In its 2023 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in Canada, B'nai Brith reported unprecedented levels of antisemitism in the country last year. Canada experienced a 109.1 per cent jump in reported cases from 2022 to 2023, with a total of 5,791 documented acts of violence, harassment and vandalism, surpassing 2021's numbers, which were previously the highest on record.
- Jewish Canadians remain the most targeted religious minority for hate crimes in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. While Jewish Canadians make up one per cent of the population, they were victims of 900 reported hate crimes targeting a religion in 2023.
- In 2023, Statistics Canada found that police-reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish religion were up 71 per cent from the previous year.
- To ensure students learn about adverse consequences of extreme political ideologies, Ontario is also introducing mandatory learning on the Holodomor famine.
Quotes
"With antisemitism on the rise in our province, it is crucial to support Holocaust education and community institutions to help students, families and educators combat antisemitism in schools. Our government stands united in protecting our Jewish communities and will continue to make significant investments to uphold the right of every person in our province to practice their faith peacefully, with dignity and respect."
- Graham McGregor, Acting Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
"As acts of antisemitism continue to rise in our schools and communities, it is imperative that we take action and not remain silent. By expanding Holocaust education resources in our schools, we are ensuring that future generations remember the past and stand united against antisemitism and evil with no equivalency."
- Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General and MPP for York Centre
"As we witness an alarming, unprecedented surge in antisemitism in this province, including in our schools, education on this age-old hatred is more critical than ever. Not only will students learn about the Holocaust, but they will also gain a better understanding of the threat antisemitism poses to the Jewish community and society at large and how young people can play an important role in standing up against it. We're thankful to the Ontario government for its continuous investment in Holocaust and antisemitism education to ensure young Ontarians have the necessary knowledge and tools to be upstanders against this toxic scourge."
- Michael Levitt, President and CEO, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
"The fight against antisemitism in our schools is more critical than ever, and Holocaust education is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat intolerance, promote understanding, and safeguard the values of freedom and democracy. Liberation75 is grateful to the Government of Ontario for its support of our educational resources and programs that will equip Grade 6 students across the province to combat hate, build empathy, and foster a more inclusive society. Together, we can create a better future for our children."
- Marilyn Sinclair, Founder, Liberation75
"CIJA is pleased to continue our meaningful partnership with Ontario's Ministry of Education to further the collaborative anti-oppressive work needed to dismantle pervasive and systemic antisemitism. As per the core recommendations made to the White House Committee on Antisemitism in the U.S. and the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism, enhancing intercultural competencies and deepening our understanding of Jewish-Canadian identity remains imperative in combatting anti-Jewish bias. This grant will further sector-specific approaches to unlearning antisemitism and will allow Ontarians the ability to uplift, protect and care for Jewish Canadians, and all equity-deserving groups, and to ensure our Canadian values of pluralism and multiculturalism remain at the forefront of navigating this sensitive moment in human history. We thank the Minister for her commitment to the Jewish community, ethnocultural specific service supports, and public education."
- Jess Burke, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Training, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
"The Toronto Holocaust Museum is grateful to receive this additional funding to enhance our online resources and expand their reach to educators across Ontario. This funding will help bring the lessons and legacy of this history to schools across the province by providing classroom-ready supports in Holocaust education tied to the newly mandated Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum."
- Dara Solomon, Executive Director, Toronto Holocaust Museum
Additional Resources
