Shocking words from a lawyer | Lack of Holocaust education, says Jewish organization

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The shocking comments made by a defense lawyer regarding the Holocaust, during a trial last Friday, “demonstrate the importance and the need to increase” awareness of anti-Semitism in the Quebec school curriculum, says the Center Advisory on Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA).

Posted at 6:38 p.m.

William Theriault

William Theriault
The Press

During the trial of Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, a Montrealer who wrote about 1,000 articles on a neo-Nazi site in the United States, Ms.e Hélène Poussard distorted certain historical events related to the Holocaust, at the Montreal courthouse.

During her speech, the defense lawyer notably said “the ideology of the Nazis did not correspond to anti-Semitism”, that “according to the dictionary, Nazism is National Socialism” and that “it does not was not part of the original plan to exterminate the Jews”. She also believes that the Jewish population was exterminated “because it was cheaper to gas them.”

“I had a hard time finding the words,” said Eta Yudin, Quebec vice-president of CIJA. “It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. It trivializes the Holocaust. It’s hard to see how anyone would have thought that pitch was going to be relevant. »

It is a tragedy for humanity. To see someone trivializing what happened is shocking.

Eta Yudin, Quebec vice-president of CIJA

Lack of education

Nearly a third of Quebecers, including 36% of Francophones, believe they have “insufficient knowledge” about the Holocaust, according to a survey conducted by Léger for the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS).

“Given the importance of this event on the 20e century, we find this figure alarming,” says CIJA. The organization wants the Minister of Education to improve the place occupied by learning about the Holocaust and to insist on raising awareness of anti-Semitism “in order to prevent other deplorable remarks such as those of Mrs.e Poussard come to turn the iron in the wound of the community”.

“Knowledge about the Holocaust, as well as other genocides, is studied in the Compulsory Contemporary World program in 5e secondary,” notes the Ministry of Education in writing.

“Teaching the Holocaust in history classes is important for understanding the causes and the context, adds Eta Yudin […] It is up to all of us to fight against all forms of racism. This is not the battle of one community or one person. And if we don’t have an understanding of the past, how can we avoid history repeating itself in the future? »

Learn more

  • What is the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs?
    CIJA is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and promote Jewish life in Canada by advocating nationally for the interests of Canadian Jewry.

    CIJA press release


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