Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Eugene

(61,865 posts)
Wed Nov 7, 2018, 06:55 PM Nov 2018

Trudeau apologizes for Canada's 1939 refusal of Jewish refugee ship

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS NOVEMBER 7, 2018 / 4:41 PM / UPDATED 17 MINUTES AGO

Trudeau apologizes for Canada's 1939 refusal of Jewish refugee ship

Steve Scherer
3 MIN READ

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized on Wednesday for the country’s 1939 refusal to take in a ship carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees, adding that the country would do more to protect Canadian Jews from violence.

The St. Louis left Hamburg in May 1939 in a desperate search for a safe haven from persecution by Nazi Germany. After it was rebuffed by Canada and other nations, it returned to Europe, where historians have estimated that more than 250 of the passengers were murdered in Nazi death camps.

“We apologize to the 907 German Jews aboard the St. Louis, as well as their families,” Trudeau told the House of Commons. “We are sorry for the callousness of Canada’s response. We are sorry for not apologizing sooner.”

The apology came less than two weeks after a gunman shot dead 11 people, including a Canadian woman, at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Vigils were held across Canada in the aftermath of the attack.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-politics-trudeau-jewish/trudeau-apologizes-for-canadas-1939-refusal-of-jewish-refugee-ship-idUSKCN1NC2Y0
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Foreign Affairs»Trudeau apologizes for Ca...