‘Frightening thought:’ Local rabbis react to Nazi archive

It seems Regina and Saskatoon weren’t forgotten when the Nazis were making their plans to win the Second World War – a book from Adolph Hitler’s library includes the two cities along with others across North America.

The book was recently acquired by Library and Archives Canada. The lists include the populations and Jewish populations of each city. Library and Archives Canada says this hints at Nazi plans for if they won the war and were to come to Canadian shores.

Rabbi Avrohom Simmonds is with the Chabad Jewish Centre of Regina. He said this book brings a lot of emotions forward with some chilling knowledge.

“What happened in Germany and in Europe could have happened anywhere in North American and anywhere in the world if it would not have been stopped at that point in time.”

He said it makes him thankful for those who ended the Nazi’s regime.

Simmonds is from Winnipeg and has family there back generations, so they could have been included in counts in that book. Also, members of Simmonds’ father’s family were killed in the Holocaust in Europe.

“(And) knowing that it could have been in this part of the world is definitely a quite frightening thought.”

Simmonds said the books brings up lessons for us today.

“Brings to mind today how much more so each one of us needs to step up and get rid of bigotry, racism, and any type of anti-Semitism or denigration of minorities around the world.”

Especially as there are those out there who currently espouse Nazi beliefs and some who deny the holocaust ever happened.

“And yet there’s clear evidence from this book that, not only happened, but they could have been right here on our own free, Canadian soil,” said Simmonds.

Jeremy Parnes is the Rabbi at the Beth Jacobs Synagogue in Regina. He said the book shows the Holocaust wasn’t just a European event.

“It gives us an understanding of the Holocaust being far more than some kind of localized or continental event that was not going anywhere else. It gives one a sense of what would have happened had we lost the Second World War.”

Parnes is concerned about recent polls which show that people don’t have much knowledge about the Holocaust, and he hopes this book will help bring those events to the forefront of people’s minds and bring awareness.