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Confronting Hitler's Legacy: Canadian Jews and Early Holocaust Discourse, 1933-1956

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Confronting Hitler's Legacy: Canadian Jews and Early Holocaust Discourse, 1933-1956 Confronting Hitler’s Legacy: Canadian Jews and Early Holocaust Discourse, 1933-1956 by Norman Erwin A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2014 © Norman Erwin 2014 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This dissertation examines Canadian Jewish thought from the Nazi period through to the immediate postwar era regarding the Nazis’ persecution and murder of European Jewry. It challenges the widely accepted position that Canadian Jews were indifferent to the Holocaust until the Six Day War of 1967, when survivors of Hitler’s extermination program pushed the Holocaust onto the Canadian Jewish community’s agenda in order to counter the threat of rising antisemitism. The evidence produced here demonstrates that Canadian Jews’ wartime experience of learning about the systematic slaughter of their brethren in Europe and of witnessing the democratic world’s unrelenting indifference to the plight of Jewish refugees ensured that the Holocaust was a central component of Jewish life in Canada in the immediate postwar era. Rather than the Cold War climate compelling Canadian Jews to suppress their memories of the Holocaust, as is commonly argued, this thesis shows that ongoing concerns over the security of Jews, the ineffectiveness of the UN, and the rise of antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East propelled Canadian Jews to raise the spectre of the Holocaust. They organized desperate campaigns to create international safeguards for minority groups and worked to strengthen Israel diplomatically and militarily in order to counter future threats of genocide from a position of strength. While the Holocaust remained a central feature of Jewish life throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Holocaust memory proved to be a divisive force amongst Canadian Jews since they often interpreted the Holocaust along ideological lines. The established liberal sector of the Canadian Jewish community bemoaned the ineffectualness of international law and adopted increasingly realist positions to counter the threat of Soviet and Arab antisemitism. The communist wing of the Canadian Jewish iii community was less inclined to trust liberal democracies to safeguard Jewish rights, especially during the German rearmament debate of the early 1950s. However, with growing evidence that showed that antisemitism was motivating the Soviet Union to collude with the Arabs to destroy Israel, most Canadian Jews became disenchanted by communism. Therefore, this dissertation alters the perception of the postwar Canadian Jewish community from one in which they were focused squarely on domestic issues, such as social mobility and fighting discrimination, to one in which memory of the Holocaust kept Canadian Jews focused on the tribulations facing Jews around the world. iv Acknowledgements This thesis has only come to fruition due to the invaluable support, encouragement, and assistance I have received from numerous individuals. I owe a special debt of gratitude to my doctoral supervisor, James W. St. G. Walker, who has taken a keen interest in my research. He has not only provided sage advice on every aspect of my thesis, but has been a staunch advocate for my academic endeavors, encouraging me every step of the way. Many thanks are also due to my committee members, Gary Bruce and Erich Haberer, who have been instrumental in helping me conceptualize this project. Over the course of researching and writing this thesis, many people have helped me in a variety of ways, ranging from writing reference letters to secure funding to reading various sections of this thesis and offering critical feedback. Those individuals include Irving Abella, Marcel Martel, Colin McCullough, Susan Neylan, Roger Sarty, George Urbaniak, and Nathan Wilson. Donna Hayes has been an invaluable ally in helping me navigate the administrative side of graduate studies and has made my visits to the History Department cheerful. Archivists have played a large part in the formation of this thesis. Janice Rosen and Hélène Vallée have provided vital assistance in locating copious amounts of material during my lengthy stay at the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archive. Melissa Caza at the Ontario Jewish Archive, Ava Block-Super and Stan Carbone at the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada, the staff at Glenbow Archives, and the staff at the Library and Archives of Canada all deserve mention for providing excellent service. v I also wish to acknowledge the generous financial support provided by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The University of Waterloo also provided ample financial aid through various internal scholarships and teaching and research assistance positions. These financial programs made this research possible. Friends and family have also provided much needed moral support during this intellectual journey. In particular, I am grateful for my friendships with Anna-Lina and Bill Bombardier, Laura Greaves, and Dan and Jessica Heidt. My parents, Tom and Diane, have provided support throughout my many years in graduate school. My deepest gratitude goes to my wife Danyelle and our daughter Cecily, both of whom have made countless sacrifices. Danyelle has been a stalwart companion throughout this long process, offering up understanding, encouragement, and practical support. Moreover, she has been a thoughtful sounding board for my ideas. Therefore, it is to her that I dedicate this thesis. vi Abbreviations AJC American Jewish Committee AP Associated Press BUP British United Press CCCJ Canadian Council of Christians and Jews CCF Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation CCL Canadian Congress of Labour CJC Canadian Jewish Congress CNCR Canadian National Committee on Refugees and Victims of Political Persecution EDC European Defence Community JAFC Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee JDC American Joint Distribution Committee JIAS Jewish Immigrant Aid Society JLC Jewish Labour Committee JPRC Joint Public Relations Committee JPS Jewish Public Service JTA Jewish Telegraphic Agency LPP Labour Progressive Party NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization UJPO United Jewish People’s Order UPA-UJA United Palestine Appeal and the United Jewish Appeal UZC United Zionist Council of Canada WJC World Jewish Congress ZOC Zionist Organization of Canada vii Table of Contents AUTHOR'S DECLARATION ............................................................................................................... ii Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ v Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... vii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ viii Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Historiography ................................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 1 “Hitler’s Assault on Civilization”: Canada’s Response to Nazi Germany’s Persecution of Jews, 1933-1939 .................................................................................................................................. 26 1.1 The Nazi Revolution and the Dismantling of Jewish Rights ..................................................... 36 1.2 Kristallnacht: A Descent Into Lawlessness ................................................................................ 50 1.3 Nazi Racial Policies: A Threat to Civilization ........................................................................... 56 1.4 Kristallnacht and the Coming of War ........................................................................................ 61 1.5 Canada and the Jewish Refugee Crisis ...................................................................................... 66 1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 76 Chapter 2 The Canadian Jewish Encounter with the Holocaust, 1939-1948 ....................................... 78 2.1 The Effort to Keep the Holocaust out of its ‘Good War’ Against Nazism ................................ 87 2.2 Canadian Mainstream Press Coverage of the Holocaust ......................................................... 106 2.3 Canadian Jews Respond to the Minimization of the Holocaust ............................................... 118 2.4 Discourse on the Holocaust and the Defeat of Nazi Germany ................................................. 145 2.5 The Impact of Holocaust memory on Canadian Jews .............................................................. 168 2.6 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................
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