Listen to Avi Benlolo's interview on Zoomer Radio.

You’ve released astatement calling this a meaningful step toward acknowledging a shameful chapter.Tell us why you think it’s meaningful.

It’s meaningful because an apology is necessary andadmittance of the error of the past of the very troubling era that caused themurder of 250 Jewish people because the boat was turned back by the Governmentof Canada. That acknowledgement is very important to the victims’ families, butin our community and the Jewish community, we strongly believe that this shouldnot happen to anyone who ends up on our shores because of this experience. Wehope that this is a message to the future more than to the past.

What do you say tothe people who are cynical and say it’s just another apology, it doesn’t mean anything,the Trudeau has been making one apology after another?

We’ve had those discussions internally within ourorganization, that there are a lot of apologies and at the end of the day whatdoes it mean. Is it only words? We believe that when this narrative enters intothe lexicon, really in Canada, when Canadians turn attention as you’re doingright here on your radio show to this historical event, it actually helpsreform our national identity. It actually helps us understand the history andwhere we’ve come from and where we should go as a nation. We pride ourselvesinternationally as being a compassionate nation, a nation that promotes peaceand helps refugees, helps the desperate. This is very important for Canada, it’snot just important for the Jewish community, but this is part of our historicalnarrative of us as a people.

There is a concernthat young people in school are not even aware of the atrocities of the Holocaust.You point out that 41% of Americans and 66% of millennials cannot say whatAuschwitz was. Hard to believe for those of us who are older.

It’s very hard to believe that we’re seeing this trend inmillennials and that history isn’t being taught sufficiently. Keep in mind it’snot just a Jewish story, for Canadians over 40,000 Canadian soldiers werekilled in action liberating Europe from the Nazis. Over 100,000 were wounded.We are historically connected as a nation to what transpired there, and it’sour obligation to inform and educate the next generation about this. There’s somuch violence, conflict and racism out there in our society today, and Ibelieve part of the reason for that is that we as humans are forgetting theatrocities of the past, we’re forgetting the hardships that people experienced,even ordinary people experienced, having to go labour in factories, help thewar effort, not have enough food, and so forth. We’re forgetting theexperiences. We have to keep reminding people so that it’ll never happen toanybody.

Tell us about the historyof the MS St. Louis. How did these Jewish refugees come to be on board thatship and what happened once it crossed the Atlantic?   

Jewish people were noticing the trend and where things wereheading. Not enough actually, the Nazis were really good at propaganda and actuallydisguising the atrocities. Not everybody knew what they were planning, but somedid and some tried to flee Germany and Europe. Most could not flee, could notget visas to leave and enter anywhere else in the world. These lucky refugeeswere lucky enough to obtain visas to Cuba. They were being admitted by Cuba,and so they paid for the passage, they got on this ship, the St. Louis, andthey crossed the Atlantic and got to Cuba. They were about to disembark theship, and the Cuban government of the time decided no, we don’t want theseJewish refugees. They refused to accept the visas that were granted. These poorrefugees, they were only 90 miles from Miami, and they said let’s go to the US.The US decided not to admit them, in fact they were shadowed by a US coastguardvessel to ensure the ship does not dock in America. They decided to sail toHalifax, believing of course that Canada is the land of freedom and democracy.They got to the port of Halifax, and once again they were denied entry.

Did the ship dock fora while, or was it an immediate refusal?

It was basically not even allowed to dock. It was held up inall cases in the waters just off the coast. Of course we know the Government ofCanada held what we now call the “none is too many” attitude, meaning too manyJews would not be permitted to our land. That was the prevailing antisemitic attitudeof the Government of Canada and the policy makers at that time and Prime MinisterMackenzie King. The ship was forced to return back to Germany where they tiredto flee within Europe, but unfortunately, of the 937 passengers, about 250 weremurdered by the Nazis eventually.

Some had to disembark in Germany, right? Otherswho were the survivors, how did they live?

They fled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, they just dispersedthroughout Europe trying to run for their lives as many people at that timedid, broke up families. It’s a horrendous story. As we know, 6 million Jews intotal were murdered by the Nazis in Europe and millions other non-Jews werealso murdered. Overall, over 50 million people were killed in World War Two. It’sjust staggering number what Nazi Germany had created. That is one small part ofwhat transpired. Between 1933 and 1945, approximately, only about 5,000 Jewswere permitted into Canada, and many of them were children refugees.

With this apologyfrom Prime Minister Trudeau, what does it say about how we feel nowcollectively as a nation?

I’m hoping as anation collectively, we’re regretful and we understand. We see our nationalidentity a one that is much more friendly, tolerant, accepting, and helpful topeople. Unfortunately, one of the trends that we are seeing is an increasingtide of antisemitism, white supremacism, neo-Nazism in our country, and that’sshocking in 2018 considering where we’ve been and where we’ve come. That is,unfortunately, a tinge of concern for us.