On Nov. 2, McMaster Hillel hosted a speaker event as part of their annual Holocaust Education Week.

Vera Berany, a Hamilton local, came to speak about her first-hand experiences in the Holocaust. Barany grew up in Miskolz, a small Hungarian town. She is a survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Metzdorf work camps. Vera is the sole survivor of her family.

“It's really nice to have someone who lives in the Jewish community in Hamilton come and speak to us about her experiences in the Holocaust,” said Rebecca Benjamin, VP (Education) of McMaster Hillel and Holocaust Education Chair.

The speaker night is the central piece to the Holocaust Education Week. Benjamin stresses the importance of having the personal aspect to the event.

“We are kind of taking an event in history and making it more than just something that came out of a textbook. Keeping it alive and bringing emotion into it, which definitely helps in making sure that history doesn't repeat itself,” she said.

Compared with previous years, the event had a remarkable turnout.

“ I think this is the most people we have ever gotten at McMaster to come to a holocaust education event. I am thrilled,” Benjamin expressed.