Hana's Suitcase

The Hana’s Suitcase learning activity introduces the story of Hana Brady, a victim of the Nazis, to students in grades 6 and up.

Following the footsteps of Fumiko Ishioka, a young educator in Japan looking for information about Hana Brady, students gradually discover the fate of of this young girl. Students learn about the persecution of Jews and the impact it had on the Brady family in the context of the Holocaust. Hana’s Suitcase encourages students to reflect on the consequences of discrimination, in the past and today.

Students learn about the history of the Holocaust in a meaningful manner, consider the impact of racism in our society and gain an overall appreciation of, and respect for, diversity.

Download the Hana’s Suitcase pedagogical guide

The Hana’s Suitcase pedagogical guide is available online free of charge. Click on the download links at the bottom of this page for the guide that corresponds to your province’s curriculum.

Curriculum Links

• Make connections of continuity with the present by defining concepts related to the Holocaust
• Perceive traces of continuities or changes related to racism and prejudice today
• Justify their view of the diversity of cultural communities in Canada

Reserve the Hana’s Suitcase Educational Kit

The educational kit itself is free; however, shipping costs of the suitcase are at your own expense (see chart below). To reserve the educational kit, please complete the pre-booking form.

You will receive:

• A reproduction of Hana Brady’s suitcase
• The Hana’s Suitcase pedagogical guide with ten in-class activities
• One copy per student of the book Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine
• A Brief History of the Holocaust reference guide
• A replica of Hana’s family photo album and seven reproductions (maps, museum artifacts, Hana’s drawings)

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Physical version of the Hana's Suitcase activity for Quebec teachers.

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Hana Brady is in the top row, 3rd from left.

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George Brady and Baby Hana in 1931. Source :

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George and Hana with their dog Sylva.

Learn more about the Holocaust and the Museum’s collection of artefacts and testimonies

For more information on Theresienstadt, the ghetto located in the city of Terezin, you can read the story of Edvard Neugebauer’s Watercolour in the Objects of Interest section of this website. For more information on the Holocaust, see A Brief History of the Holocaust: Reference Guide.