Educational Programs

The St. Louis Era Looking Back Moving Forward – June 1 and 2, 2009

On June 1st and 2nd 2009, the Government of Canada and the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada will host an international conference entitled The St Louis Era: Looking Back, Moving Forward. This seminal event will bring together government officials, academics, educators and civil society in a discussion of the many complex themes that flow from Canada’s restrictive immigration policy during the Second World War. It will commemorate a time in Canadian history when this country excluded refugees seeking sanctuary from the Nazi death machine, as in the case of the M.S. St. Louis. The discriminatory policies and practices of that dark era will be examined in terms of how best to educate future generations, not just about the Holocaust and its linkages to Canada, but also about the dilemmas facing society today as we continue to see mass human rights violations in all corners of the globe.

This two-day conference, made possible by funding from the Community Historical Recognition Program of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and with the academic partnership of the Holocaust Literature Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario and a variety of partners in the field of Holocaust research, education and remembrance, is the signature event that will support Canada’s full membership in the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. This event is the liaison project under this international task force and reflects the partnership between the Government of Canada and the U.S. Department of State, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Mémorial de la Shoah. It will also mark the launch of the League for Human Rights’ three-year National Task Force, which will enhance Canada’s efforts in these three core areas, which are central to the ITF mandate.

This unique conference will be the first in recent years to bring together a diverse body of experts from across the country and abroad to create a forum for dialogue about the current status and the future of Holocaust research, education and commemoration.

General Romeo Dallaire Summer Institute on Teaching the Holocaust and Genocide
August 14-18, 2006

The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario

“Each summer, the General Romeo Dallaire Genocide Institute is offered in London at The University of Western Ontario for teachers from across Canada. The Dallaire Institute is designed to encourage teachers to teach the lessons of genocide – the importance of tolerance, of upholding human rights, and of helping others in need – and to help prepare them to effectively and appropriately communicate these lessons.”

Instructors for the 2006 Dallaire Institute include some of Canada’s most renowned scholars and educators of genocide. The following scholars and educators are among the instructors this summer:

  • General Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander, United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda
  • Major Brent Beardsley, General Dallaire’s personal staff officer in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994
  • Dr. Alain Goldschlager, Director of the Holocaust Literature Research Institute, the University of Western Ontario
  • Dr. Frank Bialystok, author of the book, “Delayed Impact: The Holocaust and the Canadian Jewish Community” (2003)
  • Professor Frank Chalk (Concordia University, Montreal), the dean of genocide studies and author of the seminal work, “The History and Sociology of Genocide” (1990)
  • Professor Lorne Shirinian (Royal Military College, Kingston), the country’s foremost expert on the Armenian Genocide

July 4-8, 2005

The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario

In July, 2005, over 40 teachers from across Southwestern Ontario participated in the second Dallaire Institute program, which was also held at The University of Western Ontario.

Instructors included:

  • Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander, United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda
  • Major Brent Beardsley, General Dallaire’s personal staff officer in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994
  • Alain Goldschläger, Director of the Holocaust Literature Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario
  • Rich Hitchens, Associate Scholar, the Holocaust Literature Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario
  • Margaret Wells, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
  • Lorne Shirinian, (Royal Military College, Kingston), the country’s foremost expert on the Armenian Genocide

August 9-13, 2004

The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario

In August, 2004, the first General Romeo Dallaire Genocide Institute was held in London, Ontario at The University of Western Ontario. The Association for the Elimination of Hate and the Holocaust Literature Research Institute recognized that the Holocaust and genocide are invaluable tools for teaching young students about the importance of tolerance, human rights and helping others in need. Focusing on the history of the Holocaust, genocide, and pedagogy, the Institute encouraged educators to teach these subjects and helped prepare them for effectively and appropriately communicating the lessons of these tragedies. Over 30 teachers from the London-area participated in the inaugural Dallaire Institute.

Instructors included:

  • Dr. Rouben Adalian, Director, Armenian National Institute, Washinton, DC
  • Major Brent Beardsley, Former Executive Assistant, General Dallaire, Kingston
  • Dr. Alain Goldschläger, Director, Holocaust Literature Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario
  • Myra Novogrodsky, Faculty of Education, York University
  • Margaret Wells, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

* The Holocaust Literature Research Institute is partners with the Association for the Elimination of Hate and the General Romeo Dallaire Genocide Institute.