Montreal Holocaust Museum facts for kids
| Musée de l'Holocauste Montréal | |
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Montreal Holocaust Museum
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| Former name | Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre Centre commémoratif de l’Holocauste à Montréal |
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| Established | 1979 |
| Location | 5151, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3W 1M6 |
| Type | Holocaust history museum |
| Public transit access |   Côte-Sainte-Catherine |
The Montreal Holocaust Museum (French: Musée de l'Holocauste Montréal) is a special museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It teaches people of all ages about the Holocaust. This was a terrible time when millions of Jewish people were killed.
The museum also helps everyone understand the dangers of hatred, racism, and not caring about others. It wants to promote respect for all people and show how important every human life is. The museum started in 1979. It was first called the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. It is Canada's first and only recognized Holocaust museum.
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History of the Museum
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre began in 1979. It was started by people who survived the Holocaust. Young members of Montreal's Jewish community also helped. Steven Cummings led this effort.
The museum opened in the Allied Jewish Community Services building. This building is now called Federation CJA. The Centre worked as both a museum and a place to remember.
After World War II, many Jewish immigrants came to Montreal. This made Montreal a city with many Holocaust survivors. It had the third largest number of survivors in the world. Only Israel and New York had more.
Because of this, the Centre became known for its collection. It had items and stories mainly from local survivors.
Museum Updates and Growth
In 2003, the Centre was updated and made bigger. Money for this came from the government and private donations. The museum then opened its new main exhibit. It was called "To Learn, To Feel, To Remember".
In 2010, a film called The Heart of Auschwitz was released. It was made by director Carl Leblanc. The film was based on a heart-shaped book shown in the museum. It told the story of the book and the women who signed it.
In 2013, the museum launched a free app. You could use it on Apple and Android phones. The app helped visitors learn more about the exhibits. It also helped classrooms learn if they could not visit the museum.
In 2014, new touch-screens were added. These screens had maps and timelines. They helped make the exhibit more modern.
In 2016, the Centre changed its name. It became the Montreal Holocaust Museum. This new name showed that it was open to everyone. It also showed its role as Canada's only Holocaust museum.
Museum Collection
Most of the museum's collection comes from local Holocaust survivors. Their families also donated items. These items help tell their stories.
The museum has over 12,900 objects. These objects show life before, during, and after the Holocaust. About 85% of the collection can be seen online. Over 100 important items are on the museum's website. You can also find them on the Artefacts Canada database. More than 4,000 items are online through the Canadian Jewish Heritage Network.
Special Items in the Collection
One important item is an urn with ashes from Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is a very sad reminder of the concentration camp. It is always on display in the museum's special remembrance room.
Another special item is the Heart from Auschwitz. This is a heart-shaped book. Young women in Auschwitz wrote birthday wishes in it. A woman named Fania Fainer secretly took it out of the camp. She later gave the book to the museum.
Survivor Stories
The museum also has the largest collection of Holocaust survivor stories in Canada. This is called the oral history collection. The museum started recording these stories in 1994.
Since then, over 800 stories have been recorded and saved. The museum continues to record more stories. In 2016, it joined a project called the Canada Collection. This project gathered over 1,250 stories from survivors across Canada. These stories are now kept in the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive.
Exhibitions to Explore
The museum has different exhibitions. They help visitors learn about the Holocaust and its lessons.
Main Exhibition: To Learn, To Feel, To Remember
To Learn, To Feel, To Remember is the museum's main exhibition. It opened in 2003 after the museum's renovation. It has 418 artifacts, 372 photos, and 10 video stations.
This exhibit shows Jewish culture in Europe before the war. It also shows how Jewish life was destroyed during the Nazi time. Finally, it shows how survivors rebuilt their lives in Montreal and Canada.
Exhibitions That Travel
United Against Genocide: Understand, Question, Prevent is a traveling exhibit. It teaches people about genocide. Genocide is when a large group of people is killed on purpose. The exhibit helps people understand and prevent it. It looks at the Armenian genocide, Cambodian Genocide, and the Genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda. It compares them to the Holocaust. It uses stories, interviews, and old records.
"And In 1948, I Came to Canada": The Holocaust in Six Dates focuses on six important dates. These dates cover the rise of the Nazi party to the freeing of concentration camps. It also shows how Canada reacted to the Holocaust. It tells about the lives of survivors in Canada. This exhibit uses items from the museum and stories from Montreal survivors.
Online Exhibitions
The museum also has three exhibitions you can see online for free.
Building New Lives shares stories of Jewish refugees in Canada after World War II. It shows how they built new homes and helped Canadian society.
United Against Genocide: Understand, Question, Prevent is also available online. It explores different genocides. It teaches about their meaning and how to stop them.
Holocaust Life Stories has life stories and video interviews. These are from people who survived the Holocaust.
Museum Programs and Events
Each year, the museum holds many public events. These include yearly events for Yom HaShoah and Kristallnacht. Survivors, Jewish community members, and important guests attend these events.
The museum also remembers the Roma Genocide. This event first happened in 2016. It was with Romanipe, a group that fights against prejudice towards Roma. The museum also marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The museum also has other public events. They teach about the Holocaust and human rights today. These events include guest speakers, films, workshops, and stories from Holocaust survivors.
Education and Learning Resources
The museum creates many learning tools for teachers. These tools help them teach about the Holocaust and human rights.
Learning materials like A Brief History of Antisemitism in Canada, The Heart From Auschwitz, and Hana’s Suitcase are available. They are in English and French. You can find them for free on the museum's website.
The museum also holds a conference every two years. This conference helps train teachers. It teaches them how to teach about the Holocaust and human rights.
In 2017, the museum received money from the Canadian government. This was for a project called "Beyond the Walls of the Montreal Holocaust Museum." This project works with teacher groups, universities, and other centers. It gives teachers across Canada tools to teach about the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights.
Museum's Public Stance
Since 2012, the museum has spoken out on important issues. These issues are related to the Holocaust and human rights in Canada. It releases statements and holds events. It also uses social media. This helps promote diversity and public awareness. It connects lessons from the past to problems today.
The museum spoke out against Quebec's Bills 60 and 62. It said these bills were based on racism and prejudice. It felt they made minority groups feel left out.
The museum also works with human rights groups. It supports refugee rights through statements and events.
Museum Connections
The museum is connected to many other groups. These include:
See also
In Spanish: Centro Conmemorativo del Holocausto de Montreal para niños
- Antisemitism in Canada
- Museum of Jewish Montreal
- National Holocaust Monument
- List of Holocaust memorials and museums
