The Centre plans to work with the public and Catholic school boards to educate students about the Holocaust. Pictured: Margaret’s Legacy’s namesake, Margaret Weisz. Photo Credit: Margaret’s Legacy.
As Jewish communities around the world gathered last month for Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Hamilton Jewish Federation also gathered for the opening of a new Holocaust Learning Centre.
The new permanent exhibit is called the Margaret’s Legacy Holocaust Learning and Jewish Advocacy Centre and is located at 1605 Main Street West just west of McMaster University in the building with the “JHamilton” sign.
The Centre is named after Holocaust survivor Margaret Weisz.
Danna Horwood, the daughter of Weisz, helped found the Centre, which primarily seeks to detail the life of Margaret and her husband Arthur during the Holocaust.
The exhibit is arranged chronologically and there are eight different displays: Jewish Life Between the Two World Wars; Nazi Antisemitic Ideology; Isolation, Ghettos, Forced Labour, Systematic Mass Murder, Resistance and Rescue; Deportations and Extermination Camps; Liberation; Displaced Persons Camps, Anti-Jewish Violence Post-Liberation, International Recognition, and the State of Israel; Arriving to Canada, Jewish Hamilton, and Establishing a New Life; and Jewish Hamilton Today.
The Centre also plans to work with the public and Catholic school boards to educate students about the Holocaust.
The Hamilton Jewish Federation received $175,000 from the Government of Canada to support the renovation of their current building for the Centre.
The Government says that the Centre will “bridge the gap in access to Holocaust education” and that the exhibit “is expected to attract hundreds of visitors to the region seeking remembrance during the first year of operation.”
Gustavo Rymberg, the CEO of The Hamilton Jewish Federation, commented, “We are deeply grateful for the support received as it enables our Holocaust Education Centre to expand its vital mission, ensuring that the lessons of history continue to resonate with future generations, fostering empathy, understanding, and a commitment to never forget.”
The World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem reportedly provided guidance and assistance in developing the Centre.
Assistance was also received from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and support was provided by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility, and Future and by the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
The exhibit is open Mondays to Thursdays from 12PM to 5PM, Fridays from 12PM to 4PM, and Sundays upon request.
There are also extended hours and complimentary admission on the first Wednesday of every month from 5PM to 8PM.
Visitors are asked to purchase tickets online prior to visiting.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, although complimentary entry is given to Holocaust survivors and caregivers accompanying a person with disabilities.
Private and group tours will be available September 2024.
The Centre is also closed on all statutory, civic, and Jewish observant holidays.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
