2–9 November The Future of Memory

community programs
We Polish Jews: The Troubled
Holocaust Legacy of Julian
Tuwim, 1894–1953
Poet Julian Tuwim was among the first and most
powerful literary voices of the Holocaust experience.
Born in Lodz, Tuwim was a leading Polish-Jewish
poet during the 1920–30s. In 1944, Tuwim wrote
an anguished lament and manifesto of murdered
Jewry, ‘We Polish Jews,’ as a refugee in New York.
In Tuwim’s writing, identity, belonging, betrayal
and memory coalesce in unexpected ways. This
presentation will be given by Dr. Myer Siemiatycki,
a professor in the Department of Politics & Public
Administration at Ryerson University. Books will be
available for purchase and author signing following
the program.
Presented by Lodzer Centre Congregation.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:00 PM
Lodzer Centre Congregation
12 Heaton Street | Toronto | 905–763–0554
In Conversation with a
Holocaust Survivor
Lithuanian Holocaust survivor Elly Gotz will speak
about his experience during the Holocaust. Elly Gotz
was born in Kovno, Lithuania, in 1928. His father
worked in a bank and his mother was a nurse. Beginning
in 1941, Elly spent three years in the ghetto in
Kovno and then one year in Dachau concentration
camp, where he was liberated by the American army
in 1945. After the war, he lived in Germany, Norway,
Rhodesia and South Africa. Elly immigrated to
Canada in 1964.
Co-presented by the International Christian
Embassy Jerusalem—Canada (ICEJ) and Catch
the Fire Toronto.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:00 PM
Catch the Fire Airport Church
272 Attwell Drive | Toronto
647–232–5394
In Conversation with a
Holocaust Survivor
Hungarian Holocaust survivor Edward Fisch will
speak about his experience during the Holocaust.
For his bio, see page 35. The program includes
social media education that explores Holocaust
memory.
Presented by the BWG Diversity Action Group.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:00 PM
Bradford West Gwillimbury Library
425 Holland Street West | Bradford
416–825–1479
In Conversation with a
Holocaust Survivor
Polish Holocaust survivor Amek Adler will speak
about his experience during the Holocaust. Amek
Adler was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1928 and grew
up in Lodz. In 1939, his family escaped to Warsaw
and then to Radom. In 1943, Amek was deported to
Auschwitz-Birkenau, and from there was eventually
shipped to Dachau, where his father and one brother
perished. Amek was liberated on April 28, 1945 and
immigrated to Canada in 1954. This is a free program
for visitors to learn about the Holocaust and
the importance of remembrance.
Presented by Old Fort Erie.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:00 PM
Old Fort Erie | 350 Lakeshore Road
Fort Erie | 905–871–0540
Rock the Shtetl
Rock the Shtetl honours the soulful music of the
Jewish past with a contemporary sensibility. This
program is based on a repertoire of Klezmer melodies
and Yiddish songs, music that was intrinsic to
Eastern European Jewish life before the Holocaust.
Music is an important vehicle for keeping alive our
collective memory of an aspect of the world that
was and for bequeathing that memory to future
generations.
Presented by Revera–Forest Hill Place Retirement
Residence.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:30 PM
Revera–Forest Hill Place Retirement
Residence | 645 Castlefield Avenue
Toronto | 416–785–1511
Samuel Bak:
The Artist of Jewish Fate
Samuel Bak was born in Vilna in 1933, on the eve
of the Holocaust. Aged six when the Nazis invaded
his world, his community, family and childhood
were shattered. Through his art, Bak creates a visual
language to tell and remind the world of its most
desperate moments, by using symbols and asking
questions. He lets the viewer decide how, if at
all, to fix it. The idea of Tikkun Olam occupies Bak
constantly. This program will be presented by
Rouhama Danto.
Presented by Shaarei Tefillah.
Sunday, 6 November | 2:30 PM
Shaarei Tefillah Congregation
3600 Bathurst Street
Toronto | 416–787–1631
Understanding the Impact of
the Holocaust on Descendants
of Survivors
The Wierzbniker Society’s Annual Memorial Program
and candle-lighting ceremony will be combined
with a presentation by Mitch Smolkin who will discuss
how trauma can be transmitted across generations
and read and perform from his writing. For
more information, see p.44. Books will be available
for purchase and author signing following the
program.
Co-presented by The Wierzbniker Society and
Bialik Hebrew Day School.
Sunday, 6 November | 3:00 PM
Bialik Hebrew Day School
2760 Bathurst Street | Toronto
416–485–3390
For program changes visit:
holocausteducationweek.com
or call 416–631–5689.
Neuberger Holocaust Education Week 47