Holocaust Education Week kicks off with powerful immersive VR experience

Holocaust Education Week at TMU offers programming to raise awareness and foster greater understanding of the Holocaust within the campus community. The annual event series provides an opportunity to reflect on the devastating consequences of antisemitism and the impact of discrimination and hate in the world today.

To engage the community, Hillel TMU (external link)  has organized events from Monday, Jan. 27 to Friday, Jan. 31 to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27. 

This day marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp by Soviet troops in 1945. It is designated by the UN General Assembly as a day for everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion or background, to remember the victims of the Holocaust and reflect on ways to combat hate and discrimination.

“Join in commemorating the six million Jewish Holocaust victims and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution, as a way to come together as a community and be reminded of our shared humanity across ethnicities and backgrounds,” says Aidan Attali, VP Outreach, HillelTMU. “It is vital to reflect on the critical lessons of the Holocaust, maintain the memory of the victims and honour the survivors.”

Hillel is pleased to offer a week-long program of events. View the full event list below. Participants must  (google form) register (external link)  to attend.

The Last Goodbye: An Immersive VR Experience & Tabling Event (No RSVP Required) 
Date: Monday, January 27
Location: SLC Atrium 
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Drop-in)

Step into history and join Toronto-based Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter in a virtual reality account of his childhood experience of the Majdanek Concentration Camp in Poland. The Last Goodbye is a 16-minute award-winning, virtual-reality (VR) film in which Gutter, whose twin sister, mother and father were among the 78,000 victims at Majdanek, shares his testimony with the belief that “we must confront pain to heal it.”

Using VR goggles, viewers are transported to the Nazi death camp, walking alongside Gutter as he revisits the grounds, including the crematorium, courageously relaying the horrors he experienced during Nazi persecution.

Confronting the history of the Holocaust collectively and through an immersive experience is a powerful way to bear witness, reflect and memorialize Holocaust victims and survivors. Don’t miss this chance to engage in a compelling interactive testimony. 

Gutter will also be visiting the TMU campus on Jan. 28 to share his experiences of the Holocaust in-person. With fewer and fewer survivors left, this is a rare opportunity to hear first-hand testimony.

A photo exhibit of lesser-known Holocaust stories will also be displayed.

Memorial Ceremony & Survivor Testimony with Pinchas Gutter
Date: Tuesday, January 28
Location: On campus TBA 
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.

Born in Lodz, Poland, Pinchas Gutter was eight years old when WWII began. A survivor of six Nazi concentration camps, he now lives in Toronto. Pinchas has shared his story of heroism and heartbreak with audiences worldwide. A renowned Holocaust educator, he promotes transformational dialogue on human rights, is celebrated for his volunteer work, and recently received The Order of Canada.

Pinchas will visit campus to share his testimony from the Warsaw Ghetto and concentration camps. The evening will begin with a Memorial Ceremony to honour other groups targeted during the Nazi regime. 

The talk is expected to be 2 hours long, including Q&A.

The Law and the Holocaust: A Conversation on Human Rights (hosted by Lincoln Alexander Law School’s Jewish Law Students Association) 
Date: Wednesday, January 29
Location: POD-449
Time: 12 -1 p.m.

In honour of this year’s Holocaust Education Week, the Jewish Law Students' Association is proud to host a discussion on human rights and the law, drawing on the tragedies and lessons of the Holocaust. Open to all students. Kosher lunch will be served. 

Please use this link (external link)  to register for ‘Law and the Holocaust’.  

Documentary Screening 

Crossing the River: From Poland to Paradise
Date: Thursday, January 30
Location: on campus TBA 
Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m.

A short documentary on a family of Holocaust survivors, directed by Professor Allan Novak from The Creative School. 

In his latest documentary, Novak, also an RTA alum, shares the remarkable story of his family, his mother and her three older siblings, recognized as the oldest surviving siblings of the Holocaust.

Inspired by their incredible journey, Novak travelled to Winnipeg to capture the family’s stories on film. The documentary went on to be screened in cities across Poland, including Sanok and Krakow, bringing its powerful narrative to audiences abroad.

30-minute run time + Director Q&A 

Wellness Debrief and Shabbat Dinner
Date: Friday, January 31
Location: TBA
Time: TBA

The week will close with a Shabbat Dinner to help process emotions from Holocaust Education Week. The goal will be to help students look ahead and make positive changes from the lessons they learned.

This event will also enable table discussions on supporting the survivors, maintaining Holocaust awareness and education for future generations.

Please fill out the  (google form) HEW 2025 registration form to attend (external link) .