The 91原创 Holocaust Education Centre is currently hosting an exhibition called, "鈥橢nemy Aliens鈥�: The Internment of Jewish Refugees in Canada, 1940-1943.鈥� Incorporating eyewitness testimony and artefacts from the period, the exhibit tells a sad story in the history of 91原创 immigration policy and 91原创 Jewish relations.聽
In 1940 Britain requested Canada among other nations to accept and imprison German prisoners of war and enemy spies until the end of the Second World War. By mistake, mixed in with the 鈥淐ategory A鈥� prisoners sent to Canada were some 7,000 innocent Jewish refugees. When they arrived in Canada these Austrian and German Jews were imprisoned in eight camps across Canada at least two of which also held Nazi prisoners.
Despite British officials alerting 91原创 authorities to the error, it took three years before all the legitimate Jewish refugees were freed.
How could 91原创s incarcerate for three years Jewish refugees who were guilty of nothing more than fleeing almost certain death in Europe?
According to 鈥淭he Jewish Daily Forward鈥� there are two answers to this question.
The first reason so many Jews remained unjustly imprisoned on 91原创 soil was Frederick Charles Blair. He was the Director of the 's Immigration Branch from 1936 to 1943. Blair apparently 鈥渂elieved an international Jewish conspiracy was trying to skirt 91原创 immigration policies by sneaking the refugees into the country.鈥�
But it is the second reason for this miscarriage of justice in the 1940鈥檚 that is the most troubling and that belongs on a 91原创 newspaper鈥檚 Religion page. 聽鈥淭he Jewish Daily Forward鈥� claims that, according to UBC historian Richard Menkis, 鈥渁nti-Semitic attitudes among Canada鈥檚 Protestant elite had hardened in the run-up to World War II,鈥� giving rise to the belief that 鈥渆thnic minorities lacked 91原创 values鈥�. As a result Jews in Canada 鈥渇aced quotas in universities, were blocked from various professional fields and barred from certain neighborhoods.鈥�
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There is little doubt that there is a deeply disturbing link between some teaching in the Christian tradition and the most virile antisemitism.
To take one small example among a tragic litany of writings from Christian tradition, Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) in his posthumously published 笔别苍蝉茅别蝉, wrote, 鈥淚t is a wonderful thing, and worthy of particular attention, to see this Jewish people existing so many years in perpetual misery, it being necessary as a proof of Jesus Christ, both that they should exist to prove Him, and that they should be miserable because they crucified Him鈥� (笔别苍蝉茅别蝉Section IX 鈥淧erpetuity鈥� #640).
Christians must never deny the terrible legacy of antisemitic hatred and violence that has its roots in the bad theology that has characterized far too much of our past reflections on the nature of our faith.
If the human community is going to forge a future that avoids the pitfalls of the past, it will only be as we acknowledge and repent of our tendency toward violence, discrimination and enemy formation.
The curators of the 91原创 Holocaust Education Centre should be applauded for helping hold the mirror of truth up for us to look more honestly at the tragic legacy of which even in Canada we are guilty heirs.聽 聽
The 鈥淓nemy Aliens鈥� exhibit remains on view through June 2013 at 50 - 950 W 41st Ave 91原创.
Christopher Page聽is the rector of St. Philip Anglican Church in Oak Bay, and the Archdeacon of Tolmie in the Anglican Diocese of B.C. He writes regularly at:聽
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