Hi, everyone,

November marks Holocaust Education Month.

We each have our own relationship to the Holocaust. My paternal grandfather, Ze’ev Vered z”l, and his immediate family fled Germany twice after Hitler came to power. They eventually made their way to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, where he and my paternal grandmother, Sara Vered z”l, fought for Israel’s independence.

Here in Canada, my grandmother introduced me to the story of the young Jewish Holocaust survivors who came from displaced persons camps in Europe to fight for Israel’s independence alongside local fighters like my grandparents. Known collectively by the Hebrew acronym GACHA"L, many were the last surviving members of their families. After all they had endured, these survivors put their lives at risk for the creation of the modern Jewish state.

When I lived in Israel 17 years ago, my grandmother and I visited the Palmach Museum. I was deeply moved by an interactive exhibit about the experiences of the GACHA"L during the War of Independence and how they built their lives in Israel after the war. For my family, the history of the Holocaust and the story of Israel’s independence are intertwined.

My grandmother helped me understand that history through the lives of the people who lived it. Last week, our community had a chance to hear another family’s story.

More than 200 people gathered at the SJCC to watch Memories of a Room, a documentary about Hartley Stern’s mother and her family of eight, who survived the Holocaust together in Bussum, a small town in the Netherlands. The film follows several of their descendants as they visit the small room where the Veffer family hid for two years during the war. There were tears, laughter and genuine awe as those in the film and those of us watching in Ottawa considered what it took to keep a family of eight hidden and alive.

Think of the life the Veffer family made in that small room. There were birthdays, chagim, Shabbat and the daily rituals that held them together. Each member of the family was a whole world, full of potential and promise, rich in relationships. The people who helped protect the family saved each of those worlds.

After the screening, Hartley joined Alex Munter, chair of Federation’s Shoah Committee, for a conversation. Hartley said it seemed clear to him that the neighbours knew his family was hiding in that room. No one reported the family or the people protecting them. Other Jews also survived in hiding in Bussum. Their stories stand out in a country where about three-quarters of the Jewish population was murdered. There was something special about Bussum. It was a town where people chose to look out for one another.

We live in different times, and there is still something to learn from the people of Bussum. We want Ottawa to be a city of kindness, a place where Jewish people and residents of all backgrounds can live safely and thrive. The decisions we make and the relationships we build, within our community and beyond it, help make that possible.

Each of us here in Jewish Ottawa is a world, full of potential and promise, rich in relationships. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa helps nurture those worlds in practical ways. We connect public school teachers with books about Jewish life so students can learn about the experiences and traditions of their Jewish classmates and challenge stereotypes and antisemitism. Through Shabbat meals and young leadership programs, we help newcomers to Ottawa meet people and build friendships. We work with allies to strengthen community safety through education and advocacy, including support for measures like the municipal safe access bylaw. Each of us can help by showing up for one another and building relationships across our city.

There are still several Holocaust Education Month events taking place throughout November, led by Federation, the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship, and Carleton University. I encourage you to explore the Holocaust Education Month calendar on Federation’s website for the full schedule.

Thank you to Federation staff Amos Bitzan and Pauline Colwin, and to the members of Federation’s Shoah Committee for the care they bring to this work throughout the year: Alex Munter, Jasmine Kranat, Marsel Russo, Carlie MacPherson, Miriam Farber, Glenna Gosewich, Allan Shefrin, Joel Diener and Harry Prizant.

Shabbat Shalom,

Danya

In recognition of Holocaust Education Month, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa's Shoah Committee invites you to a screening of the animated short film Escape: The True Story of Morris Schnitzer, followed by a Q&A,, on Nov. 26 at 7 pm.

Escape tells the true story of Ottawa's own Morris Schnitzer z"l (1921-2020), a Holocaust survivor, distinguished scientist, and honoured member of our community. Based on his memoir Escape from the Edge, the film uses animation and Schnitzer's own testimony to recount his experiences as a Jewish youth surviving Nazi occupation in Europe. Through courage, ingenuity and determination, he survived and ultimately rebuilt his life after the war, immigrating to Canada and settling in Ottawa.