Jewish Architect Designs Tribute to MS St. Louis

World renowned architect Daniel Libeskind designed the first Canadian tribute to the MS St. Louis, constructing a steel-carved monument resembling the steering wheel of the ship.

The MS. St. Louis is the ship that carried German Jewish refugees from the Holocaust that was turned away by Canada in 1939.

The episode is a well-hidden skeleton in Canadian history especially as a third the ship’s crew was later murdered as a result of the Holocaust.

Libeskind’s Wheel of Conscience was handpicked by a jury out of other entries for the CJC initiative that aims to shed light on what took place and to pose as a reminder of the lessons CJC urges need to be learned.

The wheel turns electrically and has four gears, as the literal representation of the ship’s engine. As well, they represent a more figurative visual of the “gears of the cynical bureaucracy,” according to the project presentation. The gears read Hatred, Racism, Xenophobia, and Anti-Semitism in crimson type increasing in size with each word.

Due to the lack of awareness of this dark historic event, the story of the ship is told on the monument’s exterior.

CJC CEO Bernie Farber told The Globe and Mail that the powerful depiction of the ship and story stood out from several dozen or so submissions from renowned designers submitted since last December.

The captivating winning entry was admired for its deep understanding of the story and intended message of the CJC. “When he presented before the jury [in July], that came out so clearly. His passion around this project was so there, it was so present,” Faber stated.

Though Libeskind is more used to larger projects – including the massive jagged Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal – the monument compensates for its size with importance, explained Farber.

Libeskind, the son of Holocaust survivors like Farber, wanted to work on the project because the topic sat so close to his heart, especially as what took place has been so far pushed away from the minds of most Canadians.

The CJC, which asked for and received $500,000 in federal funding from Ottawa, titled this national project, None is Too Many part of a famous quote said by a member of the Immigration Ministry, a reflection of the mindset of the Canadian government at the time.

So far, the Jewish community has gone without an apology from the federal government for this tragic rejection of Jewish victims. However, Farber explained that asking for one would not suit Jewish traditions.

Contributions and support for is this project has been called an act of t’shuva, meaning “repentance.” The project poses as an opportunity for the Canadian government to do just that: repent and acknowledge their past mistakes. “It can come by way of exactly this, the government acting to memorialize and demonstrate what happened then and [acknowledge] that the government was at fault” he explained to The Globe and Mail.

The memorial monument will be placed permanently in the Rudolph P. Bratty Permanent Exhibition at Pier 21, Canada’s Immigration Museum, in Halifax, where the ship would have docked had it been accepted.

In spite of its permanent residence at the Pier 21, Farber has stated that the monument will be built with portability in mind. Although, there are no current reported plans to send the monument off to other cities.

The monument is due to be unveiled early next year.