Memorandum

Held by

Montreal Holocaust Museum via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)

Dates

[ca. 1983] (indexed as 1983)

Level

item

Extent

Memorandum : Paper : Printed, Typed : Ink : B&W ; Ht: 35 cm x W: 21,5 cm

Scope & content

1 page, single-sided. Folded once horizontally. Document printed on letterhead of Association of Survivors of Nazi Oppression. Letter written from Aba Beer to the Principal of Eckville High School, stating that the organization does not feel that the truth about the facts of the Holocaust has not emerged in the aftermath of the pedagogical practices of teacher James Keegstra. An offer is made for survivors to travel to Eckville and meet with students and faculty members,. Narrative: James Keegstra was a high school teacher and the mayor of Eckville, Alberta when he was accused of teaching students that the Holocaust had never happened, along with other anti-Semitic propaganda. He was charged and convicted of hate speech in 1984, a conviction which was overturned upon appeal, but reinstated by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Association of Survivors of Nazi Oppression, formerly the Association of Former Concentration Camp Inmates, Survivors of Nazi Oppression, was founded circa 1960 in Montreal. Many of its members were founding members of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

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Genre / form

textual record

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Document

In the picture

DocumentGovernmentLetterLetterheadMilitaryPublic ConsultationSchoolSignatureTeachingTypewrittenTagged automatically by a vision model; may contain mistakes.

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ASSOCIATION DES SURVIVANTS DE L'OPPRESSION NAZIEASSOCIATION OF SURVIVORS OF NAZI OPPRESSIONFORMER INMATES OF GHETTOES AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS6057 Macdonald AvenueMontreal, Quebec, CanadaH3X 2W9Mr. Edwin Olsen, PrincipalEckville Junior Senior High SchoolEckville, AlbertaAba Beer, Presidentפארבאנד פֿון שארית הפלֿיטהDear Sir,Thousands of Survivors of Nazi Oppression, former inmates of Concentration Camps and Ghettoes, presently residing in Canada from coast to coast were shocked and deeply hurt by recent statements emanating from Eckville, Alberta, High School, claiming that the Holocaust is a lie and never occurred.We have lost our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers in the infamous gas chambers and crematories of the Nazi murder machine during the last war and feel that such statements offend not only the memory of millions of martyrs, but also human decency.However, we are firmly convinced that these views are mainly of one individual, who being wrongly informed himself, poisons the minds of the young people he teaches. We do truly believe in the goodness of human beings and people everywhere, especially Canadians, and we are sure that this hate incitement program really does not represent the thinking of the greater majority of Eckville residents. We feel, however, that the truth still did not emerge, and that as long as we are still alive (although the generation of Survivors is slowly dying out), we have the duty as real witnesses to this tragic chapter of history, to tell the true story to all the people who might be doubtful or misinformed of what really happened.We are ready to appear before the body of students and teachers of your school to tell our stories and answer all pertinent questions that anybody has to ask. Some of our fellow Survivors, men and women, have offered to pay their own way and take their own time to travel to your town to meet you and your school at any convenient time.We sincerely hope that you will accept our offer to meet and try together to build bridges of understanding and wholesome relationships between all Canadians.The thousands of Canadian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in fight against our common enemy, for our liberty and for freedom of mankind to enable it to build a decent future life in peace, security and happiness, deserve this chance of true rememberance.Thanking you, and hoping to be able to meet with you soon.Sincerely,Read automatically; may contain mistakes.

Language

English

Harvested

2026-10-19T03:21:16Z · source datestamp n/a · andornot

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