P1131 Kolreena-Fall 09

Kolreena
The Max & Ruth Leroy Holocaust Remembrance Garden and
Education Committee – Opening Event
by: Stacey Donaghy, Manager of Reena’s Learning & Development Department
On October 26, 2012 Reena and the Community
celebrated the opening of the Maxwell and Ruth
Leroy Holocaust Remembrance Garden and the
Holocaust Education Centre. This was a day of
remembering over 200,000 persons with disabilities who
were senselessly murdered during the Holocaust.
We were thrilled to have the Deputy Mayor City of
Vaughan Gino
Rosati (Greetings),
MPP Steven Del
Duca (Presentation
Trillium Foundation
Grant, and
Greetings from the
Province of
Ontario), and MPP
Peter Shurman
(Presentation
Trillium Foundation
Grant) in
attendance, all of
whom brought
Two of the panels which will be
instrumental in educating the public
about the history of the Holocaust.
6 • Kolreena • December 2012
greetings and spoke
about the meaning
of the curriculum
and garden for the
community and for individuals who have developmental
disability. We thank Savi Singh (Ontario Trillium
Foundation Representative) Mira Goldfarb Executive
Director (Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust
Education Centre) who spoke on behalf of the Holocaust
Community welcoming Reena into the Holocaust
community. Our
Keynote speaker
and active
committee member
Paul Burston
(Director, Relations
and Social Policy
Christian Horizons)
spoke directly to the
meaning behind the
Garden and
curriculum, as well
as the closing of
Daninah Cummins presents a plaque to
Paul Burston.
Ontario institutions
and the on-going
positive changes
Front row (l to r) Joan Gold, Sandy Keshen, Candace Lewis, Deputy
Mayor Gino Rosati, Fran Kieselstein, Edward Lewis and Daniel
Duscinsky.
Back row (l to r) Jacob Israelson, Paul Burston, Irving Feldman
and Steven Del Duca.
toward an inclusive society. Fran Kieselstein (Chair
Maxwell and Ruth Leroy Holocaust Education Committee)
spoke about her
time as Chair, the
committee’s
accomplishments
and shared
personal history as
a child of
survivors, and
read a letter
written by a
family member of
a young boy with
a disability who
perished during
the Holocaust. We
thank Irving
Sheree Raphael, presents a plaque to Fran
Kieselstein.
Feldman (Chair-Reena Foundation) who spoke on behalf of
Foundation. Candace and Edward Lewis (Donors of the
Maxwell and Ruth Leroy Holocaust Remembrance Garden)
and Joan Glick Gold (Chair-Reena Board of Directors) who
was the Master of Ceremonies for this event.
A very special thank you to those persons that we
support who assisted us throughout the event; Daninah
Cummins for singing O Canada, Daniel Duschinsky for
singing Ha Tikvah. Thank you so much Avi Slutsky,
Sabrina Pennacchio, Sheree Raphael, and Jeff Weiman for
helping present plaques and assisting with the ribbon
cutting.