May is Jewish Heritage Month and as part of our recognition, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) is hosting educational and cultural events including a Carrying Testimony presentation by WCH’s Dr. Karen Devon, Surgeon, Surgical Services.
Carrying Testimony is an organization that empowers descendants of Holocaust Survivors to share their stories. Survivor testimony has played an integral role in Holocaust education for both students and professionals, and Holocaust education is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways to combat antisemitism.
Through first-hand video testimony, artifacts, photos and their own personal history, Holocaust Survivor descendants bear witness to their families story of survival. One of those descendants is Dr. Devon, who regularly shares her Carrying Testimony presentation in schools across Ontario and Quebec, telling the story of her father, Morris Devon, who was only 12 when Nazis invaded Poland.
“My father is the most inspirational person I know, as he lived through what many would consider impossible,” she says. “I take inspiration from him and what he went through and the medical atrocities that happened during the Holocaust, to be a better medical professional. That inspiration has influenced not only my career, but my academic background as a medical ethicist.”
Dr. Devon will be giving her presentation to WCH staff, physicians, learners and volunteers on Wednesday, May 24 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 849 0102 2410
Passcode: 918058