Back to events
Toronto Holocaust Museum

Neuberger HEW 2026 | Dialogue for Descendants Presents: Bearing the Legacy

Eric Beck Rubin with his grandmother Mary Beck. Nassau, Bahamas, 1983.
November 8, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 5:30 pmSignature programs Signature programs Speakers Speakers

The first 60 people to register for this program will receive a free copy of Eric Beck Rubin’s new book, Ten Clear Days.

 

How does being a descendant shape experiences of caregiving and grief? 

 

Descendants often find themselves not only dealing with personal loss but also carrying the responsibility of preserving memory and family history. This timely program created for children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors explores the emotional weight descendants carry and their strength through conversations and interactive sessions.  

 

Featuring a keynote conversation moderated by Rabbi Miriam Margles with novelist and scholar Eric Beck Rubin about his newest book, Ten Clear Days, which explores complex questions about life, death, and agency through the story of his grandmother, Mary, a Holocaust survivor. Through multiple perspectives, readers learn about the life of this strong and deeply loved woman in stories, relationships, and interpersonal conflicts, all woven around Mary’s decision to choose MAiD.   

 

Following the keynote conversation, please join us for interactive sessions and workshops (learn more below) led by expert facilitators. The workshops will explore legacy and storytelling, compassionate caregiving, and dive deeper into program themes. Please note that each session will be offered twice, allowing attendees to participate in more than one session.   

 

The program includes light refreshments and an opportunity for connection and conversation.  

 

This program is intended for children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Not sure if this is the right program for you or have any questions? Reach out to programs@thethm.org  

Speakers

Interactive Sessions

What can Moses teach us about confronting mortality? 

Led by Dr. Arielle Berger  

In this session participants will examine the story of Moses being told by God (repeatedly) that he will die. Through close reading of the original Biblical text and later midrashic additions to the story, they will consider key questions that arise in confronting our own and our loved ones’ mortality: 

  • How should one respond to the realization of your own mortality? 
  • What constitutes a good death?  
  • What tasks need to be completed before you die?  

Participants will come to see that they are not alone in asking these questions – neither alone today, nor alone in history – and that Jewish tradition has deep wisdom to offer us in navigating these timeless questions.

 


 

Writing Into the Silence: Braiding Artifact, Memory, and Imagination 

Led by Caroline Topperman
For many descendants of Holocaust survivors, family history exists in fragments—lost documents, whispered anecdotes, and the weighty silences of those who survived. In this generative, hands-on workshop, author Caroline Topperman introduces a practical “braiding” technique to help participants transform fragmented histories into compelling prose. Working with three core narrative strands—archival fact, sensory artifact, and the emotional blank space—participants will learn how to anchor inherited stories in tangible objects and responsibly write into the unspoken truths of generational memory. 

 


 

Sharing Session
Gather with fellow descendants to debrief and discuss the themes from the symposium. Sharing Sessions provide an opportunity to process the complex and difficult content from the day, as well as other current issues impacting descendants. Exclusively for children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, these sessions are moderated by mental health care professionals and social workers. 

Date & Time

Sunday, November 8, 2026

1:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Cost

$27

The first 60 people to register for this program will receive a free copy of Erick Beck Rubin’s new book, Ten Clear Days.

Venue

Leah Posluns Theatre

4588 Bathurst Street

In the Charlotte and Lewis Steinberg Family Cultural Pavilion, in the Sheff Family Building

Supported by

Serena and Shawn Beber

 

Sonia and Gerry Rowan 

Presented by

Neuberger HEW 2026 is presented by the Freeman Family.