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The conference resulted in two things in addition to IHRA membership: In this pursuit, seven scholars from various disciplines, including history, media studies, and Jewish studies, examine various aspects of Canadian society from to , concluding that most non-Jewish Canadians were apathetic in the face of Nazi persecution of Jews.
It is unfortunate that the analysis focuses almost exclusively on the cities of Toronto and Montreal, and that French Canada is virtually ignored, yet no single volume can cover all aspects of a subject. In this case it seems that geographic and ethnic breadth was sacrificed in favor of multi-disciplinary inclusion. Each of the seven chapters addresses a distinct topic, yet the volume as a whole provides a relatively unified interpretation. Louis , after which they seemed to return to their generally antisemitic, or at least apathetic, attitudes.
In contrast, Canadian Jewish communities remained attuned to developments in Europe, and energetically continued to publicize the Jewish emergency and to pursue rescue efforts. His chapter discusses the work of some exceptions: The last chapter, written by James Walker, is a detailed study of the establishment and development of Jewish defense organizations in Canada and their principled struggle for Jewish inclusion.
From Jews were excluded from hotels and beaches, university programs and occupations, clubs, neighborhoods, and resorts. While no chapter in this book states it explicitly, Jews simply do not matter in these decades in Canada. The elites of the country were Anglo-Saxon Christians who had a profound religious-cultural bias against Jews and Judaism, which led to the exclusion of Jews from many aspects of society, including entrance into the country itself.
This was not simply some kind of generic racism or xenophobia but a deeply ingrained way of thinking and feeling about Jews that was part and parcel of Western culture, resting on the bedrock of the Christian religious imagination. The general sensibility in elite Canadian circles was that of English antisemitism, which is characterized primarily by feelings of contempt for Jews and a knowing superiority over them.
Nazi Germany, Canadian Responses: Confronting Antisemitism in the Shadow of War [L. Ruth Klein] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Nazi Germany, Canadian Responses: Confronting Antisemitism in the Shadow of War. Edited by L. Ruth Klein. McGill-Queen's University Press. Introduction.
Like in Great Britain, the Canadian establishment worked hard to exclude Jews, regardless of their specific backgrounds, talents, or abilities, from their social and professional circles and to prevent them from entering these same circles in the future. Quebec is a more complex, multi-layered case given its British Protestant elite and its large French population, which fell under the determinative influence of the Catholic Church and harbored a more fear-based form of continental antisemitism. Reading this book reminds us of the frustrating inadequacy of the word antisemitism when we use it to explain so many different types and manifestations of anti-Jewish hostility and hatred.
It is quite possible to hold traditionally negative views about Jews and never dream of physically assaulting a Jewish person or trying to force them out of the country. That is precisely what these chapters demonstrate. One should not make the assumption that the principled criticism of Nazi Germany that we see throughout Canada during this period has anything to do with a fondness for Jews or a lack of antisemitism.
While the latter may have existed on an individual basis, as an organized society dominated by a British cultural elite Canada was exclusionary and discriminatory and that reality was to be maintained at all costs. Her first book Disenchantment: Her second book is entitled The Antisemitic Imagination. Victoria Holocaust Remembrance and Education Society http: In , Parliament declared January 17 as Raoul Wallenberg Day, celebrated annually on the anniversary of his disappearance.
On January 17, , Canada Post released a stamp in recognition of his courage. International Holocaust Remembrance Day — January 27 Governments, universities and NGOs mark this day with official statements and events across the country.
A commemorative ceremony for politicians, dignitaries, Holocaust survivors and members of the public is held in Ottawa. Canadian Museum for Human Rights Scheduled to open in Winnipeg in with 12 permanent galleries, covering a wide range of issues, including human rights, mass atrocities and the Holocaust. Monuments National Holocaust Monument. It will serve as a permanent reminder for Canadians of all faiths to stand together against intolerance and hatred.
They were refused entry into Canada in and many subsequently died. Library and Archives Canada. Holds official government records relating to the Holocaust, as well as private records donated by individuals or organizations.
Editorials antisemitism Christian normalization history of racism Jewishness racialization racism whiteness. Find a copy online Links to this item Table of contents. Preview this item Preview this item. By the summer of , however, press coverage declined to a trickle. Once digitized, they will be accessible through the McGill University library. That is the question this new collection of seven essays, edited by Ruth Klein, attempts to answer. My ancestors come from Poland, Austria, and Russia, though I have never been to any of these places.
Serious research and study of the Holocaust began in the s in Canada. At that time, many academics began incorporating research on the Holocaust into a variety of fields of study at educational institutions. Canada has a number of exceptional researchers and scholars in the field of Holocaust Studies.
Thomas University's Holocaust Centre. Nazi Germany, Canadian Responses: Confronting Antisemitism in the Shadow of War Prominent scholars consider Canada's immigration policies and anti-Semitism during the Holocaust in this collection of essays published in May with funding assistance from the Government of Canada CIC. Research on Holocaust-era Artworks In partnership with six Canadian museums, the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization is undertaking research and developing best-practice guidelines to help the Canadian museum community address the issue of Nazi-looted art.