Apology for Canada’s past anti-Semitism was personal for some cabinet ministers
OTTAWA — The federal government’s apology for one of Canada’s most shameful anti-Semitic episodes was personal for some of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet ministers.
For International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr it brought back painful memories of being beaten to a pulp just because he’s Jewish.
“When I was 15 years old in junior high school, on a cold, crisp February night in Winnipeg, I went with a friend to a hockey rink,” Carr recalled during a reception following Trudeau’s apology Wednesday for Canada’s refusal to give refuge to more than 900 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.
“We were surrounded by a group of thugs who said, ‘Jews are not allowed here, get out.’ And we ran and they caught up and they beat us up and they stole our money and they left us in a pool of blood.”