By Marion Silver and Phil Emberley
The Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) was established in 2015 as a community-based volunteer organization to address the growing need for Holocaust Education, given the rise of antisemitism within Ottawa and around the world.
A serious blunder occurred in the House of Commons on Friday, September 22nd, 2023. This happened when Members of Parliament rose to unanimously recognize Yaroslav Hunka, who as was later determined, served with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a volunteer unit created by the Nazis to help fight the Soviet Union. This recognition underscores the need for CHES to persevere in fulfilling its mission to educate Canadians on the history and legacy of the Holocaust. The passage of time has allowed awareness of the brutal realities that occurred during the Nazi era in Europe to diminish.
It has since become clear, as a result of this incident, that former Nazi collaborators who entered Canada many decades ago continue to have lived undeterred in this country. Their complicity with the Nazi regime is not necessarily of a minor nature, as evidenced by the Polish government’s interest in having Mr. Hunka deported.
Soon after the incident, there were renewed calls to release information gathered by the Deschenes Commission (1986), including the names of former Nazi officials who came to Canada after World War II, and the Government of Canada is currently considering such action.
CHES is supportive of efforts to increase transparency relative to the Deschenes Commission, especially if doing so increases public awareness of the Holocaust. Recent polling suggested that many Canadians lack knowledge about the Holocaust, and this is highly correlative with rising acts of antisemitism across the country.
CHES has established a strong record of educating young Canadians about the Holocaust through the delivery of firsthand testimony by survivors. We are proud of our achievements in this area and believe that through education and enhancing public awareness we can aspire to “never again”.
Since the writing of this article, Speaker Anthony Rota, resigned, having invited Mr. Hunka to the House of Commons.
We also note that when Israel was viciously attacked by the terrorist group, Hamas, on October 7th, CHES was grateful for the actions of the Canadian government in supporting its Jewish community and standing with Israel.
Marion Silver is the secretary of CHES and Phil Emberley is a member of CHES.
