Holocaust Education Week is a time to remember, learn, and reflect. Through stories of resilience and resistance, we honour those who came before us and strengthen our commitment to fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate.
From the Toronto Holocaust Museum: "Holocaust Education Week was founded in 1982, under the auspices of the Holocaust Remembrance Committee, part of the former Toronto Jewish Congress. Its formation and continuation is in great part due to the hard work of a group of dedicated Holocaust survivors whose passion and commitment to Holocaust education paved the way for its future success."
Date: November 6, 2025
Time: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Location: Progress Campus, L1-02
Event description: Centennial College's Holocaust Education Week Committee present a screening of Sabotage (2022) followed by a Q&A with Holocaust survivor, educator, and human rights advocate, Nate Leipciger. Light refreshments provided from 11:00-11:30.
Film synopsis: Sabotage is an inspirational and gripping documentary combining animation, archival footage, and live testimony to tell the untold story of a women’s underground resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau. These courageous Jewish women prisoners risked their lives smuggling gunpowder from a munitions factory to sabotage the Nazi gas chambers. The film is based on the diary of Ottawa resident Anna Wajcblum, one of the saboteurs, whose sister was publicly executed after being caught. It is a powerful testament to the role of women in resistance and solidarity under unimaginable conditions.
Speaker bio: Nate Leipciger was born in Chorzów, Poland, and is a Holocaust survivor of the Sosnowiec Ghetto, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and six other concentration camps. Liberated with his father in 1945, he immigrated to Canada in 1948, later earning a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. A passionate educator and human rights advocate, Nate has shared his story widely across North America and participated in 21 March of the Living trips. His memoir, The Weight of Freedom, was published by the Azrieli Foundation. In 2016, he accompanied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Auschwitz. His numerous honors include the Meritorious Service Medal (2000), the Champion of Human Rights Award (2015), an Honorary Doctor of Laws from U of T (2019), and most recently, appointment to the Order of Canada in 2025.
