Newfoundland, the easternmost province of Canada, has a dark and hidden history of its response to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. According to a recent article, Newfoundland was the only British dominion that refused to accept any Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution, and even deported some of them back to Europe, where they faced certain death. The article reveals the reasons and the consequences of Newfoundland’s anti-Semitic policies, and the efforts to uncover and commemorate the tragic fate of the Jewish refugees.
Newfoundland’s Isolation and Hostility Towards Jews
Newfoundland was not always part of Canada. Until 1949, it was a self-governing British dominion, with its own government, currency, and customs. Newfoundland was also isolated from the rest of the world, with a small and homogeneous population, mostly of English and Irish descent, and a strong sense of identity and independence. Newfoundland was also poor and underdeveloped, with a struggling economy based on fishing and forestry.
Newfoundland’s isolation and poverty contributed to its hostility and indifference towards Jews and other immigrants, who were seen as competitors and threats to the local culture and resources. Newfoundland had a very small and transient Jewish community, mostly consisting of merchants and peddlers, who faced discrimination and prejudice from the majority. Newfoundland also had no synagogues, no rabbis, and no Jewish organizations or institutions.
Newfoundland’s Refusal and Deportation of Jewish Refugees
During the Holocaust, when millions of Jews were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis in Europe, many countries, including Canada, opened their doors to Jewish refugees, who sought safety and asylum. However, Newfoundland was the only British dominion that refused to accept any Jewish refugees, and even deported some of them back to Europe, where they faced certain death.
Newfoundland’s government was influenced by the anti-Semitic views of its prime minister, Sir Richard Squires, who believed that Jews were “undesirable” and “unassimilable”. Squires also feared that admitting Jewish refugees would anger Newfoundland’s main trading partner, Nazi Germany, and jeopardize its economic interests. Squires also ignored the appeals and the pressure from the British government, the Jewish organizations, and the public opinion, to change his policy and to show compassion and humanity to the Jewish refugees.
One of the most tragic examples of Newfoundland’s refusal and deportation of Jewish refugees was the case of the SS Newfoundland, a ship that carried 742 Jewish refugees from Romania in 1941. The ship was denied entry to Newfoundland, and was forced to sail to the Caribbean, where it was also rejected by several countries. Eventually, the ship returned to Europe, where most of the refugees were captured and killed by the Nazis.
Newfoundland’s Discovery and Remembrance of Jewish Refugees
Newfoundland’s dark history of its response to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust was largely forgotten and hidden, until recently, when some researchers and activists began to uncover and to share the story with the public. One of them is Jenny Higgins, a historian and an author, who wrote a book titled “Perished: The 1942 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster”, which includes a chapter on the SS Newfoundland and its Jewish refugees. Higgins said that she was shocked and saddened by the story, and that she felt a moral obligation to tell it.
Another one is Steven Wolinetz, a political science professor and a member of the Jewish community in Newfoundland, who organized a memorial service in 2023, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and to pay tribute to the Jewish refugees who were rejected and deported by Newfoundland. Wolinetz said that the memorial service was a way of remembering the victims of the Holocaust, and of saying “never again”. Wolinetz also said that the memorial service was a way of raising awareness and educating the public about the history and the lessons of the Holocaust, and of promoting tolerance and diversity in Newfoundland.