We warmly invite educators and students to join us for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre’s 50th Anniversary Symposium on the Holocaust, taking place on May 4, 2026, at the Italian Cultural Centre. Schools are welcome to attend the session from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The VHEC’s annual Symposium on the Holocaust began 50 years ago, in 1976. Over the decades, it has been attended by generations of high school students from across British Columbia and beyond. Tens of thousands of students have benefitted from this rare opportunity to learn directly from survivor eyewitnesses of the Holocaust and historians in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies.
This milestone 50th year feels especially meaningful as we also mark the introduction of the new Holocaust learning standard in the grade 10 social studies curriculum. This year, we are proud to offer a program designed for students in Grades 10–12 that encourages thoughtful learning and personal reflection. Students will hear from Dr. Heidi J.S. Tworek (Canada Research Chair; Director, Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions; Professor at UBC), who will provide an historical perspective on the Holocaust based on her book News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900–1945.
Professor Tworek’s lecture will be followed by our feature speaker Lillian Boraks-Nemetz, author and child survivor of the Holocaust. The program will conclude with a Q&A session, giving students the invaluable opportunity to engage directly with our speakers and ask their own questions.
To register, please complete the form below by April 17, 2026.
The cost is $150.00 per class. If cost is a concern for your school, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Subsidies are available, and we are committed to making this program accessible. To arrange payment and confirm your registration, please contact our office at 604-264-0499 or email info@vhec.org.
Space is limited, and registrations will be processed in the order they are received. If your plans change or your student numbers shift, we would greatly appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible so we can offer space to schools on our waitlist.
If you have any questions at all, please contact Cafe McMullen, Program Officer at cafemcmullen@vhec.org.
We hope to welcome you and your students to this important and meaningful event.
