Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
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The Montreal Holocaust Museum (french: Musée de l'Holocauste Montréal) is a museum located in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, that is dedicated to educating people of all ages and backgrounds about the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, while sensitizing the public to the universal perils of antisemitism, racism, hate and indifference. Through the museum, its commemorative programs and educational initiatives, it aims to promote respect for diversity and the sanctity of human life. The Museum was founded in 1979 as the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre (french: Centre commémoratif de l’Holocauste à Montréal) and is Canada's first and only recognized Holocaust museum.


History

The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre was founded in 1979 by members of the Association of Survivors of Nazi Oppression and young members of the Montreal Jewish community, and led by Steven Cummings. It opened in its current location in the Allied Jewish Community Services building (now
Federation CJA Federation CJA is a Canadian Jewish organization that raises and distributes funds by facilitating and overseeing the delivery of services and programs. * History Federation CJA is one of the oldest Canadian Jewish organizations. CJA was founde ...
). The Centre served as a museum with a permanent exhibition and a memorial centre. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Jewish immigrants settled in Montreal, making it the third largest population of Holocaust survivors in the world in proportion to its inhabitants after
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and New York. The Centre became distinguished for its collection featuring artefacts and testimonies primarily from local survivors. In 2003, the Centre underwent a renovation funded by government grants and private and corporate donations to expand and improve the existing collection. The centre launched the current permanent exhibit, ''"To Learn, To Feel, To Remember"''. In 2010, director Carl Leblanc released the documentary film ''The Heart of Auschwitz'', based on the heart-shaped book exhibited in the museum. The film retraces the book's history and the stories of the women who signed it. He later published ''Artefact'' in 2012, a fictional story inspired by the book. '' '' In 2013, a free app was developed for electronic devices and smartphones on
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
and Android platforms. The app can be used in the permanent exhibition and as an educational tool for classrooms unable to visit the museum. It provides additional in-depth information on the subjects and objects displayed in the exhibit. Interactive touch-screens featuring maps and timelines were added in 2014 to modernize the exhibit. In 2016, the Centre was renamed the Montreal Holocaust Museum to reinforce its openness to the public and its mandate as the only Holocaust museum in Canada.


Collection

The majority of the Museum's collection is composed of artefacts donated by local Holocaust survivors and their descendants. To date, the museum's collection of artefacts numbers over 12,900 objects relating to life before, during and after the Holocaust, with 85% of the collection digitized. Over 100 key artefacts from the collection are displayed on the museum's website and the Artefacts Canada database. Over 4,000 artefacts are accessible digitally through the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network. Notable objects in the collection include an urn containing ashes from
Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
that is on permanent display in the museum's commemoration room, and the Heart from Auschwitz, a heart-shaped book with birthday wishes made by a group of young women in Auschwitz. The Heart was given to a woman named Fania Fainer, who smuggled it out of the concentration camp and eventually donated the book to the museum. The museum also holds the largest oral history collection of Holocaust survivors’ stories in Canada. The museum's oral history program started in 1994. Since then the museum has recorded and archived over 800 oral histories, and continues to do so. In 2016, it participated in the Canada Collection
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...
project that consolidated more than 1,250 testimonies from Holocaust survivors across Canada and preserved them in the
USC Shoah Foundation USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, formerly Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Hol ...
Visual History Archive.


Exhibitions


Permanent Exhibition

''To Learn, To Feel, To Remember'' is the current permanent exhibition that went on display with the renovation in 2003. When it launched it featured 418 artifacts, 372 photographs and 10 video stations. It is designed to reflect Jewish culture and history in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
before the war, the destruction of Jewish life during the Nazi era and the Holocaust, and how the survivors who immigrated to Montreal and Canada rebuilt their lives.


Travelling Exhibitions

''United Against Genocide: Understand, Question, Prevent'' aims to educate the public about
genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
, its implications and how to prevent it. The exhibit examines the similarities and differences between the
Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
,
Cambodian Genocide The Cambodian genocide ( km, របបប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍នៅកម្ពុជា) was the systematic persecution and killing of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Communist Party of Kampuchea genera ...
, the Genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda and the Holocaust through testimonies, interviews and archives. ''"And In 1948, I Came to Canada": The Holocaust in Six Dates'' focuses on six key dates of the Holocaust, from the Nazi party's rise to power to the liberation of concentration camps. There is also an emphasis on Canada's reaction to the Holocaust and survivors’ lives in Canada. The exhibition uses artefacts from the museum's collection and testimonies from Montreal survivors.


Virtual Exhibitions

The museum has three virtual exhibitions available for free online. ''Building New Lives'' follows the stories of Jewish refugees in Canada after World War II and their contributions to society as they made communities in Canada their home. ''United Against Genocide: Understand, Question, Prevent'' explores the similarities and differences between genocides to educate about its implications and prevention. ''Holocaust Life Stories'' features biographies and video testimonies from Holocaust survivors.


Programs

Every year the Museum organizes a number of events open to the public including annual
Yom Hashoah Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah ( he, יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה, , lit=Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah (יום השואה) and in English as Holocaust Reme ...
and
Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
commemorations attended by survivors, members of the Jewish community and dignitaries. It also commemorates the
Roma Genocide The Romani Holocaust or the Romani genocide—also known as the ''Porajmos'' (Romani pronunciation: , meaning "the Devouring"), the ''Pharrajimos'' meaning the hard times ("Cutting up", "Fragmentation", "Destruction"), and the ''Samudaripen'' (" ...
and
International Holocaust Remembrance Day The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of on ...
. The Roma Genocide commemoration was first held in 2016 in partnership with Romanipe, a local non-profit that combats prejudice against
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and advocates for Canada to recognize the Genocide of Roma and Sinti. The museum also organizes events for the public that educate about the Holocaust and current human rights issues with guest speakers, films, workshops and Holocaust survivor testimonies.


Education and Resources

The Museum develops a number of educational resources for teachers on the Holocaust and human rights. Pedagogical tools, such as A ''Brief History of Antisemitism in Canada, The Heart From Auschwitz,'' and ''
Hana Hana or HANA may refer to: Places Europe * Haná, an ethnic region in Moravia, Czech Republic * Traianoupoli, Greece, called Hana during the Ottoman period * Hana, Norway, a borough in the city of Sandnes, Norway West Asia * Hana, Iran, a ci ...
’s Suitcase'' are produced in English and French and available for free on its website. The museum also organizes a biennial conference to assist and train educators in teaching about the Holocaust and human rights. In 2017, the Museum received a grant from the Canadian government's Inter-Action fund for the Beyond the Walls of the Montreal Holocaust Museum project. The project, in conjunction with teacher's associations, universities, Holocaust education centres, Jewish Federations and the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR; ) is a Canadian Crown corporation and national museum located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, adjacent to The Forks. The purpose of the museum is to "explore the subject of human rights with a special but not ex ...
, provides educators in various provinces with tools to teach about the Holocaust, genocide and human rights.


Public Positions

Since 2012, the Museum has taken public positions in order to take a stand on issues related to the history of the Holocaust and human rights of concern to Canadian citizens. It issues statements, organizes events and maintains a social media presence in order to promote diversity and public awareness by bridging the gap between the past and the present. The Museum issued statements denouncing Quebec's Bills 60 and 62 on the grounds of racism and prejudice because they reinforced prejudices and alienated minority groups. Working with human rights organizations and minority groups is another way the museum addresses current issues. It has taken an active role in advocating and supporting refugee rights through statements and events.


Affiliations

The museum is affiliated with:
Federation CJA Federation CJA is a Canadian Jewish organization that raises and distributes funds by facilitating and overseeing the delivery of services and programs. * History Federation CJA is one of the oldest Canadian Jewish organizations. CJA was founde ...
, CMA, CHIN, VMC
SMQMusées Montréal
IHRA and AHO.


See also

* Antisemitism in Canada *
Museum of Jewish Montreal The Museum of Jewish Montreal (MJM) (french: Musée du Montréal juif (''MMJ'')) is an online and mobile museum that collects, maps, and presents the history and experiences of the Montreal Jewish community through exhibits, walking tours and throug ...
* National Holocaust Monument *
List of Holocaust memorials and museums A number of organizations, museums and monuments are intended to serve as memorials to the Holocaust, the Nazi Final Solution, and its millions of victims. Memorials and museums listed by country: __NOTOC__ A - D: AlbaniaArgentinaAustraliaAustr ...


References


External links

*
Virtual ExhibitionsArtefactsEducational Resources

Canadian Jewish Heritage Network
{{Authority control History museums in Quebec Holocaust museums Holocaust Memorial Centre Jewish museums in Canada Jewish organizations based in Canada Museums established in 1979 Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Jews and Judaism in Montreal 1979 establishments in Quebec