A Story of Heroism and Survival

A Story of Heroism & Survival

Life might feel like it's spiraling out of control right now.  People are scared and fear can bring out the worst in people.  And it can also bring out that instinct to survive and dig deep for the resilience and good that we are capable of producing.  

Now, maybe more than ever, is the perfect time to hear the words our two speakers have to share - Stories of SURVIVAL and HEROISM in a world gone mad.   We invite you to join us online to share in an experience that will hopefully help you put things into perspective.

Speaker Bio

Marnie Bondar

As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, Marnie Bondar grew up well-fed on chicken soup and extraordinary stories of survival and heroism.  A tight bond with her grandmother, Freda Plucer, remained until Freda’s death in January 2020 and the two shared a lifelong commitment to standing up to intolerance and discrimination. While Freda can no longer personally share her experiences from the Holocaust, including life in the ghetto and in the Auschwitz concentration camp, Marnie considers it an incredible honour to bring her grandmother’s history to today’s generation.  Marnie is a regular volunteer for Calgary Jewish Federation, Second Voices Project, which is a series of videos brought into schools by 2nd & 3rd Generations of Holocaust Survivors.  With help from a generous grant from the Alberta Human Rights Commission, the Project has created multi-media addresses whereby children and grandchildren bring their parents’ or grandparents’ Survivor testimony to life in classrooms.  Students learn the history of the Holocaust through a Survivor's story while absorbing valuable lessons about Human Rights, tolerance and the dangers of hatred.  Marnie has spoken to thousands of students across Alberta for the last 5 years

Ilana Krygier Lapides

Ilana Krygier Lapides is a born and raised Calgarian and a proud first-generation Canadian. She is the granddaughter of 4 Holocaust Survivors and her father, of blessed memory, was a child Survivor during the war.  Ilana has had the honour to serve many organizations in the Jewish community, most notably the CJA Jewish Day School as a Yiddish and Pre-school teacher, the Calgary JCC as the Adult/Teen Director, and she was the Principal of Temple’s Shabbat school. Her volunteer work includes sitting on the executive of various Boards and serving many lunches at the Drop-In Centre. 

For the past 13 years, Ilana has been the Holocaust and Human Rights Educator for Calgary Jewish Federation - coordinating and educating tens of thousands of students through school education, Survivor visits, commemoration ceremonies, and the Federation flagship program, our Holocaust Education Symposium in cooperation with Mount Royal University which is celebrating its 36th year in spring of 2021.  Most recently, Ilana helped institute Canada’s first city-wide Holocaust Remembrance Day with Calgary City Council. 

Ilana lives with her husband, David, and has three children and a very large dog. Ilana is currently attending Rabbinic school with the Jewish Studies Learning Institute out of New York, and will become an ordained Rabbi in June 2021. 

How to Access the Event

Scroll down the page for access information

Luncheon Agenda: 11:30 - 11:40 am - join the webinar

11:40 am - Introductions & Announcements & Presentation

1:00 pm - End

Registration

Please register in advance online so that we know how many people to expect on the webinar @  https://adralberta.com/event-3799838  

Cost

There is no cost for this event.  

If you wish to assist Ilana and Marnie in doing more of this outreach you can direct your gift to Holocaust Education by sending a tax deductible tribute card to the link below.

https://www.jewishcalgary.org/tribute-cards

Webinar Access Information:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/426049249

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +16699006833,,426049249# or +12532158782,,426049249#

Or Telephone:

Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656

Canada: +1 587 328 1099 or +1 647 374 4685 or +1 647 558 0588 or +1 778 907 2071 or +1 438 809 7799

Webinar ID: 426 049 249