Freedom Day Brings Message of Hope and Courage to 3,500 Students at Yonge-Dundas Square

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 23, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

For the fifth year in a row Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) shared a message of hope, courage, and the importance of freedom and democracy with more than 3,500 Ontario students and teachers at Freedom Day 2014 at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square.

"This annual celebration of human rights, dignity and freedom has become a defining event for teachers who bring their students every year to be inspired by our organization, our speakers, and our commitment to teaching youth the value of these concepts, and how fortunate we are as Canadians to enjoy the rights and freedoms denied to so many people around the world," explained FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. "As western democracies confront the growing threat of ISIS and terrorism, the message of Freedom Day has become more powerful - and more critical - than ever before," he added.

This year's line-up of speakers included aboriginal activist Wab Kinew, Pink Shirt Day Founder Travis Price, author and survivor of the civil war in Sierra Leone Mariatu Kamara, second place winner of The Amazing Race Canada and double gold medal winning hockey player Meaghan Mikkelson, and Holocaust survivor Max Eisen. Rick Campanelli of ET Canada emceed the event.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.marketwire.com/library/20140923-freedomday2014px800.jpg.

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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is a leading Canadian non-profit human rights foundation directly representing over 30,000 members. FSWC is committed to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy and educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and its widely acclaimed new Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles, which has won two Academy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca.