The Spirit of Hope Benefit is one of the most iconic fundraising events in the City of Toronto bringing together top business leaders, philanthropists, community and political leaders in a celebration of the rights and freedoms championed by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. Past speakers have included the late Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper; former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney; former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; President Bill Clinton; President George W. Bush; Vice President Al Gore; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; Democratic pundit James Carville; Republican strategists Karl Rove and Governor Mike Huckabee; Australian Prime Minister John Howard; Sirs Elie Wiesel and Salman Rushdie and panelists Gloria Borger, Donna Brazile, Robert Gibbs, Alan Dershowitz, Bob Woodward and David Gergen.

The event, designed to foster dialogue about some of the most relevant issues of the day, looks at the big questions including globalization, human rights, freedom and democracy, the Middle East and international affairs in an effort to make sense of the world in which we live.

Our objective is to try and make the world a better place by furthering and building bridges of tolerance, justice and human rights. The Spirit of Hope Benefit supports many worthwhile FSWC projects including Holocaust education and diversity training; the Tour for Humanity mobile Tolerance Education Center; Tools for Tolerance program for teachers, police officers and students; Freedom Day - a celebration of human rights and democracy; Compassion to Action - leadership missions to Auschwitz; speakers and educational forums on diverse issues relating to human rights.