Belle Jarniewski is the Executive Director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada. Since 2013, she has served on the federally appointed delegation to IHRA- the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, as a member of the Academic Working Group and the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial. She is also the current President of the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Multifaith Council. As a child of two Shoah survivors, Belle has felt compelled to educate students of all ages about the Shoah and other genocides. Among the numerous initiatives she has helped to organize and coordinate is an annual symposium for Manitoba high school students at the University of Winnipeg attracting up to 2000 students. Belle’s 2010 book, Voices of Winnipeg Holocaust Survivors, serves as an important document in the history of 73 local survivors before, during and after the Shoah.

Belle’s passion for tikkun olam (mending the world) has led her to pursue a graduate degree in Theology at the University of Winnipeg.  Her thesis explored survivor narratives through the thought of Jewish theologian Irving “Yitz” Greenberg. Believing that actions speak louder than mere words, she has co-founded two interfaith dialogue groups: Muslim-Jewish and Catholic-Jewish. She is also one of the original founders of Operation Ezra, an initiative to sponsor and resettle Yazidi refugees, and to focus awareness on this genocide occurring “in broad daylight.”

Dr. Karlee Sapoznik Evans is a longstanding social justice advocate and researcher. She was named one of CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 under 40 and has served as part of reconciliation, anti-slavery, genocide prevention, and human rights projects across Canada, in Sierra Leone, Mali, Peru, Europe, and the United States. From 2014-2015, she led a team of researchers for Library and Archives Canada’s Document Disclosure Project for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 

Her research on historical and contemporary slavery helped inform Canada’s Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. From 2012-2016, she was a professor at l’Université de Saint-Boniface, where she taught a specialized course about the Holocaust. From 2016-2018, she was program lead for Tracia’s Trust, Manitoba’s Strategy to Prevent Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, where she and that team won the Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba. She currently serves as Vice President of Impact & Innovation with United Way Winnipeg.   

Jessica Cogan is a Lawyer by training and a lifelong volunteer.  She has served as a Board member, Vice President, President and now Past President of the Jewish National Fund, Manitoba / Saskatchewan Region for the past 14 years.  Jessica has also served on the Board and Executive of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg for nine years and as the chair of the Education and Engagement and the Israel and Overseas portfolios.  She continues to sit on Jewish Federation’s committees of Women’s Philanthropy and March of the Living.  Jessica also served as a Board member of the Women’s Health Clinic for three years.  Finally, Jessica has also been a member of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (RMTC) and Manitoba Bar Association collaboration of the “Lawyer’s Production”, which has raised over a $1.000.000 for the RMTC over the past 25+ years. 

Jessica’s interest and passion for Holocaust education began in 1988 when she and other students participated in the very first March of the Living (MOL) program.  Having attended public high school, she remembers how woefully unprepared she was to witness the sites of Jewish Martyrdom and Heroism during the Second World War.  Standing in the Majdanek concentration camp, Jessica made a vow to herself, the victims who were murdered, and future generations that she would commit herself to her community and do her part to fulfill the promise of “Never Forget.”  This led to many speaking engagements including keynote speaker at Edmonton’s Holocaust Symposium, volunteering with the Jewish Federation, who oversees the current MOL program, and sitting on the MOL committee to ensure the continuity and strength of the program.  Now that she has her own children who also attended public high school and who have (are) participating the MOL program, she can see that very little has changed in terms of Holocaust education in the public school setting.  Jessica hopes that this committee will be able to support Manitoba teachers in the pursuit of implementing Holocaust education more broadly in their classrooms and in the Manitoba curriculum.

Naama Samphir is a Judaic Studies teacher at the Gray Academy of Jewish Education, specializing in Jewish History, Antisemitism studies, and the Holocaust. She has served as a member of the Winnipeg Jewish Schools Teachers Association for many years, and as president from 2020-2022. In her 20 years of teaching experience, Naama has participated in Holocaust educational trips to Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Germany, and she has organized and led student educational trips to Washington, D.C., Poland, Austria, and Israel. Naama presented the importance of Holocaust education and Holocaust educational trips to the Asper foundation and several educational institutions. 

As a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Naama takes the phrase “never again” to heart and as a call to action, believing that education is the key to combating antisemitism, bigotry, and all forms of hatred. She looks forward to working with school communities to assist in implementing Holocaust education in the classrooms.

Carrie Shenkarow is a distinguished leader whose dedication to Holocaust education and Jewish communal advancement has left a lasting impact. As Senior Vice Chair of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and Chair of its Advocacy Task Force Committee, she leads strategic efforts that strengthen community engagement and support.

Her role as Chair of the March of the Living embodies her commitment to education and remembrance, guiding youth through powerful learning experiences that honour Holocaust history and celebrate Jewish resilience. Ms. Shenkarow’s leadership has also shaped key philanthropic initiatives—most notably as Campaign Chair for the Combined Jewish Appeal and spearheading the Capital Campaign for BB Camp, enhancing institutions central to Jewish life in Manitoba.

Her achievements have been formally recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, awarded for her outstanding contributions to civic and communal service.