Tragedy of Jewish refugees recalled in Halifax monument

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Tragedy of Jewish refugees recalled in Halifax monument

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, January 20, 2011 1:16PM EST

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HALIFAX - A new monument has been unveiled in Halifax commemorating Canada's decision to turn away a steamship carrying Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939.

The luxury liner MS St. Louis was first turned away by Cuba, then the United States and finally Canada before returning to Europe just before the outbreak of war.

Of the 900 German Jews aboard, almost a third died in the Holocaust.

The sculpture at Pier 21 -- called the Wheel of Conscience -- was designed by renowned architech Daniel Libeskind.

The large memorial is a steel cylinder tipped on its side, with four spinning gears on its face.

The words hatred, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism appear on each gear.

RELATED IMAGES

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Architech Daniel Libeskind shows Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, right, his sculpture called the Wheel of Conscience, at Pier 21 in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
It is a gleaming monument intended to shed light on one of the darkest chapters of Canadian history. The Wheel of Conscience, shown in this artist's rendition, designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, will be unveiled Thursday at Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum in Halifax. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Children are shown on the deck of the MS St. Louis in this undated handout photo. The Wheel of Conscience, designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, will be unveiled Thursday at Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum in Halifax. The cylindrical steel sculpture memorializes Canada's shameful decision in 1939 to turn away a steamship carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)