branksome school logo
search

Branksome Hall News

Honouring Bill Glied

On February 17, 2018, Bill Glied, a Holocaust survivor well known to our community, unexpectedly passed away. Eighty-seven-year-old Mr. Glied spent the last two decades of his life educating young people, including Branksome students, about the Holocaust.
Head Prefect, Astrid Ling, paid respect to Mr. Glied in assembly and led students in a moment of silence. We share with you Astrid’s words:

“As you know, Branksome has a long standing tradition of hosting Holocaust Education Week speakers. We cherish our time with our speakers because we know we are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from their personal experiences and reflections.

Today, we want to take a moment to honour Mr. Bill Glied, who recently passed away. Mr. Glied spoke to Branksome Senior and Middle School students in November 2013 and in February 2017 to Junior School students.

He recounted his childhood in Yugoslavia, his deportation to Poland and his experience in Auschwitz concentration camp. He also spoke of the small acts of kindness he experienced — including being tossed extra pieces of apple and bread by a German officer.

What really stuck for many of us was his message — that we must remember the past and that we have a duty to do good. He said, ‘As a survivor, I have a duty to recall the past. You have a duty too, to speak out against discrimination, racial hatred and against bad things that happen in the world.’

He reminded us that ‘those who forget the past are condemned to relive it.’ We are grateful for our time with Mr. Glied and we will now have a moment of silence to honour him.”
Back
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
 
MAKE A DONATION