After the violence in Amsterdam which left around thirty people injured last week, the deputy director of the Montreal Holocaust Museum is concerned about the increase in anti-Semitic acts since last October, both here and internationally.
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“I am dismayed and even revolted,” said general manager Audrey Licop.
These incidents which occurred near the Anne Frank Museum after a soccer match involving an Israeli team are not isolated, according to Ms. Licop.
She has observed a rise in tensions since the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
“From [cette date]people need to understand the shock and trauma that has been awakened within the Montreal Jewish community,” she stressed.
Education as a bulwark
In this tense context, the museum is keeping its doors open despite the construction work on its new premises on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. “It was out of the question to close the museum,” insisted Ms. Licop.
“Any criticism of Israel is legitimate. But making all Jews guilty of Israel’s actions is anti-Semitism,” she said, calling for collective awareness of this distinction.
“We greatly need to examine our conscience throughout the anti-racist movement, throughout the progressive movement to face the truth. I would tell you the same thing if it had been Islamophobic riots,” said Ms. Licop.
Located on Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, the Montreal Holocaust Museum will continue to welcome visitors in its current premises until its move, the date of which remains to be confirmed.
*This text, generated with the help of artificial intelligence, was reviewed and validated by our team based on an interview carried out at QUB.
