During the 11th Action Week Against Racism, from March 10th to March 21st, visit the exhibition "Jews and Haitians, a forgotten history". Twenty panels compliment the permanent exhibition of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Museum. This exhibition showcases the history of solidarity between Jews and Haitians and reflects on a shared destiny of the fight to exist. The exhibit is divided in four sections which highlight the history of Haiti and the founding principles of the Haitian nation:
Slavery in Saint-Domingue, the independence of Haiti in 1804
Jewish presence in the Caribbean and in Haiti
The reactions of intellectuals and of the State of Haiti to Nazism
The story of several Jewish survivors who benefited from Haiti's naturalization policies in the 1930s
Ultimately, the visitor understands that the decision of the Haitian government to take action is keeping with the history of Haiti, which has, since its independence in 19004, sympathized with the struggle of oppressed peoples.
After the accession to power of Hitler, the majority of Haitian intellectuals, such as Dantes Bellegarde and Jacques Roumain, condemned Nazism. The Haitian state did not only challenge Germany but defined possible actions against the perils faced by Jews. It naturalized Jews in Haitian consulates, accepted them as refugees and proposed to give shelter to 50,000 of them in Haiti.
The exhibition was conceived, designed and created before the earthquake of January 12th, 2010.
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