Canadian Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Study
Photograph of Auschwitz by Yuri Dojc.
The Azrieli Foundation in partnership with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) commissioned Schoen Consulting to conduct a comprehensive national study of Holocaust knowledge and awareness in Canada.
Why did we undertake this study?
Having published the stories of nearly ninety Canadian Holocaust survivors in English and in French, the Azrieli Foundation has become a world leader in the publication and distribution of Holocaust memoirs. The Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program connects educators and students across Canada to these first-hand accounts.
We are guided by the certainty that, when paired with a solid historical foundation, these stories told personally and intimately from the perspective of those who lived through it can have an impact on readers that history texts do not.
We wanted to know how knowledgeable Canadians are about the Holocaust. The study found critical gaps regarding awareness of both basic facts and detailed knowledge.
The Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Study
Schoen Consulting conducted 1,100 interviews with Canadian adults aged 18 and over between September 1 – 9, 2018. The margin of error for all respondents is +/- 3%.
How can we address critical gaps in Holocaust knowledge?
Education and Outreach
The Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program develops educational materials, trains teachers in how to use our resources, and designs school programming to connect survivor authors to students who are well-prepared to hear their stories. Learn more about our free resources for educators and students, which include memoirs, education programs and lesson plans, short films and the digital platform, Re:Collection.
Re:Collection is a digital platform that allows students to delve deeper into the lives of Holocaust survivors through interview footage, memoir excerpts, photographs, artifacts and an interactive timeline and map.
How to Teach about the Holocaust in Schools (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance website)
Our Holocaust Education & Legacy Partners
Through our own work and by supporting the work of our partners in Canada and around the world, the Azrieli Foundation strives to cultivate a better understanding of the Holocaust.
IN THE NEWS
The Times of Israel
February 18, 2019
Widespread Holocaust ignorance demands ramped up teaching with a focus on historical specifics, not moral platitudes. Read the article
Radio Canada International
January 28, 2019
Survey reveals unsettling numbers about Canadians’ knowledge of the Holocaust Listen to the interview
CBC News (TV)
January 27, 2019
CBC News speaks with Naomi Azrieli about a new study indicating that knowledge about the #Holocaust is fading in Canada. Watch the interview
The Globe and Mail
January 24, 2019
The consequences of this ignorance are alarming. The number of anti-Semitic incidents has ballooned: In 2018, Canada saw a record number of incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence against its Jewish population. Read the article
The New York Times
January 24, 2019
Education about the Holocaust involves crucial lessons about civic responsibility and action in the face of atrocities, but it can be challenging for even the most experienced educators because it raises difficult questions, Ms. Azrieli said. And it is all the more urgent as the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles, because they are the most powerful narrators of their experiences, she added. Read the article
The Canadian Jewish News
January 24, 2019
If the next generation does not know the details and context of the Nazi atrocities during the Second World War, how can we safely assume that our fellow Canadians will be able to identify and address such patterns if they reappear? Read the article
The Jerusalem Post
January 24, 2019
Significant gaps in knowledge about the Holocaust were revealed by the survey with 49% of Canadian respondents being unable to name a single camp or ghetto. Read the article
Media? Please contact press@azrielifoundation.org
Are you a teacher interested in using our resources in your classroom? Please contact memoirs@azrielifoundation.org
The Azrieli Foundation is strictly apolitical. As a registered charity, the Azrieli Foundation does not engage in or fund any partisan political activities.
