Montreal will get a new Holocaust museum amid rise in anti-Semitic incidents

A display of prisoners' uniforms is shown at the Holocaust Museum in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 24, 2005. Canadian Jewish leaders are asking online retailers to be more vigilant, after an investigation by the Mail on Sunday newspaper in Britain found a Vancouver man and several other eBay retailers auctioning clothing and items that belonged to victims of Nazi concentration camps. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Montreal will get a new Holocaust museum by 2025.

On St-Laurent St., near the Quartier des spectacles, "the new Montreal Holocaust Museum will stand on an emblematic thoroughfare," said the councillor responsible for the heritage file, Ericka Alneus, in a press release.

Jewish community members, including those at the helm of the existing Holocaust Museum in Montreal’s Cote-des-Neiges neighbourhood, joined the mayor and executive council Wednesday to announce $1.5 million in funding for the new building.

“We remember all the heroic and dignified acts of resistance that took place in the ghettos and camps throughout the years of terror,” said Rabbi Reuben Poupko in an impassioned speech.

“We remember the over 6 million murdered by the evil ones … We remember the survivors,” he continued. “But there’s too much for any one of us to remember, and therefore, we must remember together.”

“We may no longer be naive enough to believe that memory alone will save the world, ... but we are certain that at least through memory, we can be worthy to call the victims our sisters and brothers.”

Towards the end of the announcement, Mayor Plante lit the first of six candles symbolizing the 6 million Jews slain during Hitler’s reign.

“We must learn from the past in order to shape the future, intolerance, hatred and prejudice are still parts of our daily lives,” said Plante. “Unfortunately, the Jewish community continues to be the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes and incidents in Canada.”

“These violent and Anti-Semitic acts … have no place in Montreal, they have no place anywhere.”

REPORTED ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS UP IN QUEBEC

An annual audit by Jewish advocacy group B'nai Brith found there were 2,799 anti-Jewish hate crimes, including beatings, vandalism of synagogues and swastikas in schools. Most of Canada’s recorded incidents were reported in Quebec.

Quebec reportedly saw 828 incidents of Anti-Semitism last year, up from 686 in 2020.

The Island of Montreal was the stage for several anti-Jewish acts in 2021.

In January, Montreal police arrested a man after one of the city area’s largest synagogues was vandalized with swastikas.

Later that year, police increased their presence in Cote-Saint-Luc, Mont-Royal, Outremont and Plateau-Mont-Royal -- areas said to be targeted by Anti-Semitic threats.

In the federal election that took place in the months after, campaign posters belonging to Jewish candidates were also vandalized with swastikas.

Elsewhere in Canada, British Columbia saw a 111 per cent increase, to 409 incidents in 2021 from 194 in 2020, including 56 cases of vandalism and 296 incidents of online abuse and hatred.

Anti-Jewish abuse sharply increased in Alberta, and more than doubled in the Prairies and Nunavut.

Lawmakers and community members said Wednesday they hope the new museum will help to combat Anti-Semitism in Montreal by providing easier access to Holocaust education.

“In a context marked by the rise of discrimination against minorities, teaching about the Holocaust remains essential for citizens to remain vigilant and respectful of diversity,” said Richard Schnurbach, Holocaust Museum president, in the press release. 

-- Published with files from The Canadian Press