Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

06/01/2026

Pride Month begins today across North America, and throughout June, the VHEC will highlight a range of resources available to teach and learn about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people during the Holocaust.

The first is the award-winning podcast Making Gay History - The Podcast, Season 14: The N**i Era, a 12-part series that explores the history of LGBTQ+ people under N**i rule through survivor testimonies, archival recordings and historical research.

It presents personal accounts of persecution, resistance, survival, friendship and courage, while situating these narratives within the broader context of N**i policies such as Paragraph 175.

06/01/2026

Did football play a role in the rise of the N**is?

Join us for our free online program, "The Dual Role of Football During the Holocaust," on June 24 and explore how the world's most popular sport was used for propaganda, persecution, and, at times, resilience during one of history's darkest chapters.

Register today to learn more: https://buff.ly/hDhclMk

05/29/2026

A packed house at VanDusen Botanical Garden’s Floral Hall in Vancouver on Monday for the launch of Voices of Resilience: An Anthology of Stories Written by Children of Holocaust Survivors.

It was a deeply powerful and moving evening of reflection, with standing-room-only attendance as guests heard directly from five of the 12 second-generation contributors, including members of the VHEC community.

Some in the audience were visibly brought to tears as authors shared personal stories exploring the intergenerational impact of the Holocaust.

Congratulations to all of the contributing writers on this meaningful publication, and thank you to everyone who joined us for this important evening.

05/26/2026

Curious to learn more about the VHEC’s Age of Influence: Youth & N**i Propaganda exhibit? Download the app.

Already visited? The app is a great way to revisit key artefacts and testimonies that caught your attention and explore them in depth.

Haven’t seen the exhibit yet? The Age of Influence app works as an introduction to the content and objects featured.

Made up of 6 modules, it explores N**i’s historical attempts to manipulate the attitudes of young Germans, covering topics ranging from the use of gender roles to exploiting teenage desires in propaganda.

Designed for ages 12+, the app offers an interactive way for students, educators and the public to analyse propaganda techniques and reflect on how influence shows up in everyday life today.

Download today: https://buff.ly/YS6NoXf

(Available on iPad only. Special thanks to NGX Interactive for developing.)

05/21/2026

Football is often called the ultimate unifying sport—but history shows us a more complex story.

In honour of the world’s largest football tournament coming to North America, the VHEC is hosting a free online panel featuring leading Holocaust scholars. Together, they’ll explore how football was used during the N**i era both as a tool of control and, for some, a source of resilience and resistance.

Join us for this fascinating conversation at the intersection of sports and history. Register now: https://buff.ly/gcEZzaE

05/20/2026

This Jewish Heritage Month, the VHEC partnered with the Canadian company 1Password to mark the occasion. Holocaust survivor Michal Silver joined VHEC Education Manager Ellie Lawson in conversation, sharing his experience as a Jewish child in hiding in rural France during the Holocaust.

Living under a false identity with a non-Jewish caregiver, he was forced into labour at the age of six. The physical demands of this period severely impacted his health.

As one of the VHEC’s Survivor Speakers, Michal regularly speaks with students, community organizations and workplace groups to help Canadians better understand the history of the Holocaust and the ongoing dangers of antisemitism and hate in society.

Request a survivor speaker for your school, workplace or community organization through the VHEC’s website today: https://buff.ly/42vOZAj

05/20/2026

Big news from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the Age of Influence: Youth & N**i Propaganda, is officially on the road.

What began as an in-house exhibition built from VHEC artefacts is now reaching audiences far beyond our walls. The exhibition explores how the N**i regime used media, education and youth organizations to influence young people, encourage conformity and spread antisemitism.

Created with digital enhancements in partnership with NGX Interactive, the exhibition encourages audiences ages 12 to 99 to think critically about propaganda, media consumption and how social pressures can shape attitudes and behaviours.

We’re honoured that the exhibition’s first international stop will be at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Michigan, where it will be on view from July 2026 to January 2027.

This milestone reflects the work of an incredible team of curators, researchers, designers, editors and collaborators, alongside the generous support of donors and partners who helped make this expansion possible.

05/19/2026

05/14/2026

The VHEC has completed the second phase of digitizing materials from the Oberlander Family fonds.

With funding from the B.C. History Digitization Program, hundreds of additional records and images have now been added to our online catalogue, helping preserve and share the experiences of Peter and Cornelia Oberlander and their family.

The materials offer insight into their personal histories alongside the lesser-known history of Jewish internment and refugee experiences in Canada.

Pictures here are H. Peter Oberlander’s Austrian passport with a UK visa, issued in 1938, and Cornelia Hahn’s German passport, issued in November 1938.

05/13/2026

The Holocaust did not end with the survivors. Its impacts continue across generations.

Join us May 25 at the VanDusen Botanical Garden's Floral Hall for the launch of Voices of Resilience: An Anthology of Stories Written by Children of Holocaust Survivors — a moving collection of stories from 12 second-generation descendants, many of whom are from the VHEC community.

The evening will feature a discussion with select contributors, hosted by VHEC’s Abby Wener Herlin. The book will be available for purchase, and light refreshments will be served.

RSVP now at attend: https://buff.ly/CQR1yqL