New Monument in Nova Scotia commemorates St. Louis

Monument commemorates Jewish tragedy


The Associated Press
Thursday, January 20, 2011; 4:20 PM
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- A new monument has been unveiled in eastern Canada marking the country'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 by Daniel Libeskind is called the Wheel of Conscience and was unveiled Thursday in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Libeskind says his work tells the story of a tragic, dark period of Canadian history where anti-Semitism and anti-immigration policies led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Listen to Elie Wiesel's presentation on WBUR

WBUR 90.9 FM will broadcast Elie Wiesel's lecture on the "Tragedy of the St. Louis" Sunday, November 15th at 9:00 pm.