The Speakers Action Group

Alvin Abram, storyteller, writer and graphic designer, has authored seven books, including; The Unlikely Victims, An Eye for an Eye, and The Minyan, his most recent award-winning novel. He has had more than 100 speaking engagements, and has frequently been interviewed on radio and television.
Topic... MEMORIES AND MIRACLES OF THE HOLOCAUST

Leo Adler, Counsel, Adjunct Professor, International Criminal Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, former Director of National Affairs, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Canada, a member of the International Association of Defense Attorneys and the Canadian Forensic Society, will discuss national security issues in Canada.
Topic... INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW

Dov Altman, Executive President, Canadian Friends of Bar Ilan University. Bar Ilan has achieved an international reputation in the sciences and humanities, and is fast becoming one of Israel’s scientific incubators, actively involved in technology transfer and commercialization. Altman discusses how to bring people of diverse cultural backgrounds together.
Topic... WORKING TOWARD AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

Avi Benlolo, President and CEO, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Canada, will discuss educating the community about tolerance and understanding.
Topic... THE TOOLS FOR TOLERANCE PROJECT

Dr. Aurel Braun, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, University of Toronto, is a specialist in international law, an author of scholarly books and articles, and lectures widely in many countries.
Topic... DEFENDING STUDENTS' RIGHTS ON CAMPUS

Dr. Adam Chapnick, Associate Professor of Defence Studies, Deputy Director of Education, Canadian Forces College, is author of Canada’s Voice: The Public Life of John Wendell Holmes (2009), the most recent of his five books. He has published over thirty academic articles and and commentaries on Canadian foreign policy.
Topic... CANADA ON THE WORLD STAGE

Dr. Norman Epstein, founder, Canadians Against Slavery and Torture in Sudan, explains Canada's role in raising awareness about the extreme racial intolerance and human rights abuses in the region – a present-day genocide.
Topic... GENOCIDE IN DARFUR

Ruth Fazal, concertmaster, composer, violinist, discusses how she blended the collection of children's poetry, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly", to create a powerful composition for orchestra and choir.
Topic... ORATORIO TEREZIN: THE CREATION OF A MASTERPIECE

Gerda Frieberg, founding chair, Toronto Holocaust Centre, Past Chair, Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region, awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, discusses her experiences during the Holocaust.
Topic... GROWING UP IN THE SHADOW OF NAZIS

Elyssa Greenbaum, studying for her Masters degree in Social Work, talks about her experiences on "The March of the Living", an annual pilgrimage to Poland's concentration camps from Auschwitz to Birkenau. In April of 2010 Elyssa will accompany the trip for Grade 11 students as a leader.
Topic... Death March Poland

Donna Holbrook, National Director, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Canada (ICEJ), works closely with the Jewish community and the Israeli government to support Israel and to speak out against racism and antisemitism. Donna is Board member of Canada Israel Committee, past VP of AMEN (Antisemitism Must End Now)
Topic... WHY THE ICEJ IS IN JERUSALEM 

Dr. John B. Howarth, Middle East Representative, High Adventure Ministries, is former Executive Director, Christians United for Israel Canada, former Professor of Theology at Canada Christian College, and founder and director of Sojourner Ways. A scholar of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dr. Howarth is Board member of Israel Antiquities Authority Friends in Canada, and docent at the ROM Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit.
Topic... QUMRAN AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Armand La Barge, Chief of Police, York Region, is a graduate of FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., York University's Atkinson College certificate program in multicultural studies, Seneca College's certificate in investigative sciences and police studies. He describes efforts to promote better understanding among different cultural groups within a highly diverse community.
Topic... POLICING IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Nate Leipciger, survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and member, International Auschwitz Council, has been involved in Holocaust education for the past thirty years. Nate has accompanied many March of the Living trips to Poland and Israel, is the recipient of Poland's Officer's Meritorious Service Medal for his work to foster better relations between Poles and Jews. He recounts his experiences in the Holocaust and draws a parallel to the growth of antisemitism in Canada today.
Topic... A SURVIVOR'S EXPERIENCES

Joan O'Callaghan, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, discusses how technologies developed in Israel for disaster relief, medical research, agriculture, and security assist Canada and the world.
Topic... ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN A JUST SOCIETY

Michael Rakhsha, born in Tehran, Iran, discusses life in Iran and the issues faced by the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people who were exiled from Arab lands.
Topic... MODERATOR: THE FORGOTTEN REFUGEES and THE SILENT EXODUS Documentary Films

Rabbi Michael Stroh, former Executive Director, Toronto Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Har Zion, member of the Reform Movement Commission on Adult Jewish Growth, and the Israel Advisory Committee, Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. Rabbi Stroh has taught at many Canadian universities, the Rabbinical Seminary of Hebrew Union College, and teaches regularly at Kolel.
Topic... HOPE, FAITH AND THE FUTURE

John Thompson, author, Other People's Wars: Overseas Terrorism in Canada, is Director of The Mackenzie Institute, a think tank that focuses on terrorism, political extremism, warfare, and organized crime, and is "concerned with the social and political stability of Canada". John often appears as a television contributor on terrorism and military issues.
Topic... GLOBAL TERRORISM: IS CANADA AT RISK?

Ricky Veerappan, Staff Sergeant, York Regional Police, discusses how his department monitors and deals with hate crimes within the region.
Topic... PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Rochelle Wilner, former Vice-President, Canadian Coalition for Democracies, former President, B'nai Brith Canada, discusses issues related to the alarming rise of antisemitism experienced by students on campus.
Topic... MEDIA'S IMPACT ON PUBLIC OPINION