Montreal Holocaust Museum

Montreal Holocaust Museum staging online events on antisemitism

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Montreal Holocaust Museum is hosting a series of online events in the next two months focused on the current rise in antisemitism in Canada and around the world, especially after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

A statement by the MHM points out that in Canada alone, antisemitic incidents have increased by 172 percent in recent years. The series will be looking at how to learn to recognize antisemitism, the impact on its victims and what can be done to counter it in its various forms.

The first online event takes place 7 p.m. Feb. 26 online, and involves a discussion about the book The 7 Deadly Myths: Antisemitism from the time of Christ to Kanye West.

Author Alex Ryvchin “will be in conversation with Anthony Housefather, Member of Parliament for Mount Royal and the Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on Jewish Community Issues and Antisemitism,” says the MHM statement. “The discussion will touch on the earliest origins of antisemitism and how this age-old hatred manifests today.” The discussion is being held in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. Reserve a free ticket at museeholocauste.ca.

The next online event takes place from March 10 to 17, and is screenings of the film David Baddiel: Jews Don’t Count.

“Is there a hierarchy of prejudice placing Jews firmly at the bottom? Comedian David Baddiel outlines why he feels anti-Jewish sentiment seems less concerning to those who oppose all other forms of discrimination. David Schwimmer, Sarah Silverman, Stephen Fry, and Miriam Margolyes join David to explore why there appears to be silence from those who often shout loudest about bigotry.” A free ticket must be reserved as well at the MHM’s website.

The third online event takes place 11 a.m. March 20 and is a discussion in French between Delphine Horvilleur and the MHM co-president Honourable Jacques Saada on Horvilleur’s book How Isn’t It Going?: Conversations After October 7.

“Devastated by the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Delphine Horvilleur sees her world shatter. As a rabbi dedicated to supporting and alleviating the suffering of others, she suddenly finds herself in a state of shock, feeling powerless and voiceless. In this fevered state, she pens this small yet powerful treatise on survival, a slice of self-analysis that reconnects her with her existential foundations.” Reserve a free ticket at the MHM website.

The MHM is also highlighting a teaching guide called A Brief History of Antisemitism in Canada, which “provides teachers with an opportunity to learn about historical antisemitism in order to understand its various manifestations in Canada during the Holocaust (1933-1945).

“Particular emphasis is placed on the Quebec context – including a brief history of the Quebec Jewish community – while examining how antisemitism influenced Canadian governmental policies, media, public discourse and action regarding the situation of Jews in Europe and in Canada.” The guide can be downloaded for free at the MHM’s website.

Also highlighted by the MHM in the “collection” category is the book Jews in Caricature by Eduard Fuchs.

“This book illustrates the stereotypes that have been associated with Jews for many centuries. It was published in 1921 in Munich and was written by Eduard Fuchs, author, art collector and political activist. The caricatures demonstrate the existence of antisemitism before the Nazis took power in Germany.”

More information about the book and about the spread of antisemitism through caricatures can be found at the MHM’s website. n

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Montrealers commemorate 80 years since Auschwitz liberation

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 4, 2025 / Anthony Housefather, Elisabeth Prass, Joel Goldenberg, Montreal Holocaust Museum

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Gelber Centre was packed Monday night for the Montreal Holocaust Museum’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp where more than a million Jews were slaughtered.

On hand were the Consul-General of Germany, the Deputy Consul of Italy, federal Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland; former federal Liberal Pablo Rodriguez, who plans to seek the Quebec Liberal leadership; Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather, Anna Gainey, Alexandra Mendès and Rachel Bendayan; and D’Arcy McGee MNA Elisabeth Prass. UFC star Georges St-Pierre was on hand earlier in the evening.

MHM president Jacques Saada thanked the large audience for attending, saying “it means so much — today, especially, as we are going through a revival of antisemitism around the world.”

Rodriguez asked the community to work together “for a future in which such atrocities like the Holocaust never, never happen again. Let us commit ourselves to transmitting this memory to future generations so that history does not repeat itself and human dignity is preserved for all.”

The main event at the commemoration was an interview of Holocaust survivor George Reinitz by longtime CBC journalist Peter Mansbridge. Born in Hungary and now in his 93rd year, Reinitz came to Canada in 1948, and became a world class wrestler and a successful businessman with Jaymar Furniture, founded by Reinitz in 1956.

Reinitz, who was deported to Auschwitz at the age of 12 in 1944 and was the only member of his immediate family to survive, told the harrowing story of his daily battles to find food to eat — this included risking his life to leave his barracks at night to find discarded potato skins, which he shared with others. One time, he was caught, but an intoxicated guard let him live.

Asked by Manbridge if he was worried that history could repeat itself, especially with the current level of antisemitism, Reinitz said that education is the way to counter this.

“There are always going to be people who want to kill you, whether it’s because you’re a Jew or a Christian” he said. “We came a long way from those days when I was a kid. Antisemitism is going to be here forever. We’re lucky we have an Israel where we can go and fight and try to survive.”

Mansbridge told Reinitz that one way to counter antisemitism is to “make sure people like you tell their story.

“Without you reminding us of what happened, people will forget….The answers are education and leaving behind a record, which you’ve done many times.”

Reinitz later received a surprise, a wrestling sweater from longtime Concordia wrestling coach Victor Zilberman and a letter of tribute from Wrestling Canada read by Zilberman’s son David, a Canadian Olympic freestyle wrestler. n

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Holocaust Museum to mark 80th commemoration of Auschwitz liberation

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 4, 2025 / Joel Gokdenberg, Montreal Holocaust Museum, Peter Mansbridge

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Montreal Holocaust Museum is staging the 80th commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp with a series of events.

The liberation took place Jan. 27, 1945, by which time more than 1.1 million people had been killed, of which 960,000 were Jews.

The main event takes place at 7 p.m. Jan. 27, when longtime Canadian journalist Peter Mansbridge will speak with survivor George Reinitz.

“This extraordinary discussion will touch on George’s story of survival after being deported to Auschwitz at the age of 12 and how he rebuilt his life in Canada, becoming a world-class wrestler and successful businessman,” the MHM said. “This event is in English, tickets are $10, and reservations are required.” Register at museeholocauste.ca.

At 1 p.m. Jan. 26, there will be a Family Workshop on The Heart of Auschwitz. The Museum will hold a special workshop in collaboration with the Jewish Public Library. Designed for children ages seven and up (accompanied by their families), this bilingual activity will feature a reading of Anne Renaud’s book Fania’s Heart, alongside a viewing of the real Heart at the Museum. Afterwards, participants will create their own paper heart, filled with messages of hope. Registration is required.”

On Jan. 26 and 27, admission to the MHM’s permanent exhibition will be free.

As well, online starting January 27 at 9:30 pm, the public can see the documentary series, Shoah, je me souviens, which is a four-part documentary in French featuring the Montreal Holocaust Museum.

This series offers a “rare look into the lives of Holocaust survivors who settled in Quebec after the Second World War, highlighting their lasting impact on our society. It also tackles the crucial question of collective memory and how it impacts our understanding of tolerance and respect for diversity.” The film will remain available online afterwards.

At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Feb. 2, there will be an open house called Max Eisen’s Dimensions in Testimony.

As part of the Museum’s monthly open houses, made possible by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, the Museum will offer free admission on Sunday, February 2, from 10 am to 4 pm. Additionally, you can interact with Dimensions in Testimony at 11 am and 1 pm, a groundbreaking technology from the USC Shoah Foundation based on the interactive biography of Holocaust survivor Max Eisen. n

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