Jewish organizations are aghast after the German-Canadian Congress complained about plans for a permanent Holocaust exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Tony Bergmeier, president of the German congress, said he recognizes the atrocities of the Holocaust, but said his main objection to a permanent exhibit on it is that other human rights abuses will not receive the attention they deserve.

“I’m certainly not denying the terrible things that happened during the Holocaust,” said Mr. Bergmeier. “But the Holocaust by now has been certainly well publicized. Everyone knows what happened there. But if you ask someone what happened in Rwanda or with the Armenians, people give you a blank stare. We should look at every genocide equally.” Mr. Bergmeier cited the example of the thousands of Germans expelled from East Prussia at the end of World War II as an event that could potentially be excluded or overshadowed. Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC), said Friday the Holocaust was the worst human rights violation of the 20th century, in which the Germans stripped an entire group of people of their rights to the point of “almost complete annihilation.”

“It’s surprising and it saddens me,” said Mr. Farber. “No matter how uncomfortable the German-Canadian Congress may feel, we have an absolute right and obligation to teach the lessons of the Holocaust.’’ The museum, which is set to open in 2013 in Winnipeg, will have 12 permanent “zones,” including one dedicated to the Holocaust and one to the rights of Canada’s indigenous peoples. The brainchild of Canwest Global founder Israel Asper, it is the first national museum to be built outside Ottawa.

The German-Canadian Congress is an umbrella organization for more than 90 German-Canadian clubs, churches and businesses across the country. Mr. Bergmeier stressed the people it represents “certainly are not Holocaust deniers — we know they suffered,” but said the congress will be contacting the federal government with its concerns. A statement from the German-Canadian Congress, released Tuesday, said the museum, “must not promote or suggest that any one case of human suffering is greater than others and will not provide it with permanent strategic positioning, disproportionate display space or any other devices to get more attention by visitors.” It also said “funding and support for research and publication should be more heavily funded towards lesser known human rights abuses and genocides.” It added: “Failing to be equitable and inclusive would teach racism.” Ruth Klein, national director of the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada, said the Holocaust is a fundamental tool in teaching about all human rights abuses, as every subsequent genocide has encompassed an element of the Holocaust: “From outright discrimination to the idea of social death, to social isolation, and moving to complete annihilation,” she said.

Ms. Klein, executive director of the organization’s task force on Holocaust education, said the Holocaust was unique as the Nazi legal system was used to justify atrocities, where rights were reversed through legislation, and where professional groups, including doctors, judges and lawyers, actively participated in human rights abuses. “I don’t think this should be a competition of who suffered the most,” said Ms. Klein. Angela Cassie, the museum’s spokesperson, said a dedicated zone to the Holocaust highlights a turning point in history, and that it directly preceded a human rights revolution. She said the museum plans to follow the Holocaust zone with one dedicated to exploring developments such as the Universal Human Rights Declaration and the Declaration of the Rights on the Child. She also stressed there will be also a zone exclusively dedicated to at least 50 mass atrocities that followed. “Nothing will be forgotten,” said Ms. Cassie “We are still in the process of developing our content and part of the process is engaging various groups.” Mr. Farber said he plans on sending a letter to the German-Canadian Congress, and is willing to meet with the group to discuss the matter further. Mr. Farber said Canadians also have a special connection to the Holocaust, as Canadian soldiers were involved in liberating Jewish prisoners from concentration camps, and Canada received thousands of Holocaust survivors after the war. “Sometimes there are serious disagreements amongst organizations. And we have to get the German-Canadian Congress to understand the importance of having a permanent Holocaust initiative,” he said.

National Post, with files from Postmedia News