by Gordon Nary
Gordon: Where were you born and tell us something about your family,
Belle: I was born in Winnipeg. My parents were Holocaust survivors who had both lost their families and met here. I had an older brother.
Gordon: What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
Belle: I loved school and began studying music – primarily voice when I was 8 years old. Singing was a big part of my life and I sang in musical theatre, dinner theatre and two choirs.
Gordon: What colleges did you attend, what degrees did you earn. What was your favorite course, and why was that course your favorite?
Belle: University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba, and Universite de Saint-Boniface. I earned a Bachelor of Education degree, a Certificate in Translation, and a Master of Arts (Theology). Hard to pick a favourite – I loved my French Literature courses in undergrad and “Faith and Film” in my grad studies.
Gordon: Tell us about your initial work.
Belle: My initial work was as a French teacher. Then I stayed at home with my youngest child and the translation degree allowed me to work from home as a translator at a time when working from home was not as common.
Gordon: When did you serve as President of Manitoba Multifaith Council and what were your primary responsibilities?
Belle: I served two consecutive terms – from 2020 through 2024. Well, at that time, I encouraged MMC to have a voice – i.e. to issue statements relating to faith communities in Canada, to plan programs that brought faith communities together, and to raise our profile.
Gordon: You currently serve as Chair Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre. What are your primary responsibilities?
Belle: Well – no – my title is as Executive Director of the Jewish Heritage Centre, of which the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre is one entity along with the Jewish Historical Society, the Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada and the JHC archive. My responsibilities include education on the Holocaust and Antisemitism to students from grades six through 12 as well as adults and professional groups (doctors, lawyers, business groups) , Programming including partnerships with other organizations such as other Jewish organizations and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights ,finance, graphic design, staff oversight, fundraising, and more.
Gordon: You also serve as Executive Director at Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada. What is the Jewish Heritage Centre's mission? Responsibilities- see above.
Belle: Our mission is to document, preserve and share information on the culture and historical formation of Jewish communities in Western Canada. The Centre also serves as an advocate for anti-racism and education on the Holocaust and Antisemitism.
Gordon: Last month Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted Remembering victims of the Holocaust and preserving their stories. What was the general response to this ?
Belle: The wording of the statement is great and of course, it is essential that the memory of our survivors, their experience, and the Holocaust in general is remembered, but clearly that has not translated to awareness. We know that young people today are sorely lacking in knowledge about the Holocaust – and are easily convinced by promoters of disinformation and distortion, and by denialists. We need federal encouragement to the provinces and territories for robust curricula and support for professional development opportunities .
I am a member of Canada’s federally appointed delegation to the IHRA. I would like to see the government providing more support for and promotion of the work we do in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and fighting antisemitism. I would also like more support for universities to encourage research and teaching in these areas. Locally, for instance, we have an experienced academic who has been teaching the course for many years but was never offered a tenure track. This meant he that he had to get an unrelated fulltime job and teaches the course as an adjunct professor in the evening.
Gordon: Approximately how many Holocaust survivors live in Canada?
Belle: As of December 2024, there were approximately 9,800 Holocaust survivors living in Canada. This number makes Canada one of the countries with the largest population of Holocaust survivors in the world. However, we must remember that most of them are well into their 90s.
Gordon: Sarah Marsh of Reuters reported that Antisemitism rose more than 80% in Germany last year. Antisemitism appears to also be on the rise in Canada. According to MSN, Auschwitz survivors fear rising hate could bring on another Holocaust 80 years late. What should the Canadian government do to reduce incident of Antisemitism in Canada?
Belle: A number of things: First of all, we need to recognize just how serious the situation is. While Jews are 1.4% of the Canadian population, 70% of religiously motivated hate crimes are against Jews. We need to bring back the Online Harms Bill that did not progress once Parliament was prorogued. We need the hate crime laws that we already have legislated, to be enforced. I believe too, that education about antisemitism must be part and parcel of mandated curricula on the Holocaust. And finally, we need to recognize that what begins with Jews never ends with Jews. Antisemitism is a threat to democracy and civil society.
Gordon: Thank you for an insightful and powerful interview.