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Anti-Semitism

 

            
             Although it is still far from perfect, Canada has evolved into a very multicultural country. But during the 19th century, anti-Semitism had a lengthy and horrible history in Canada. Anti-Semitism can be defined most simply as hostility directed at Jews only because they are Jews. In spite of what anti-Semites profess, anti-Semitism is not caused by the actions or beliefs of Jews, but rather is a result of attitudes and behaviour that arise no matter what Jews do or believe. .
             There was extensive anti-Semitism in Canada's early history. This can be proved because during the years of Nazi terror, from 1933 to 1945, the United States accepted more than 200 000 Jewish refugees, Palestine, 125 000 refugees; tormented Britain, 70 000 refugees, Argentina, 50 000 refugees, destitute Brazil, 27 000 refugees; distant China, 25 000 refugees, undersized Bolivia and Chile, 14 000 each, and Canada, the second largest country, only found room for 5 000! Regular attacks on Judaism and the Jewish community appeared in "Semaine Religieuse de Quebec" and in other religious publications, and the infamous anti-Semitic forgery. Many people have claimed that Jews as a group possess far too much wealth and power. We call this the Economic Theory of Anti-Semitism. It postulates that Jewish wealth and power arouses the envy of other groups, and this in turn leads to anti-Semitism. This theory has surfaced in different guises throughout history. One of the ways it became popularized was through "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion." .
             "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" was a virulent anti-Semitic book. It was promoted by various religious leaders in Canada. From 1910 through the 1940s, prominent Canadians like Edouard Plamandon, Adrian Arcand, Goldwin Smith, Henri Bourassa, and Mackenzie King were associated with strong anti-Semitism, taking such stands as justifying Russian pogroms against the Jews, openly praising Hitler, and denying safety in Canada to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution.


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