Regional Council co-chairs Rev Dawn Rolke and Rev Tricia Gerhard have recently worked with two public sign-on statements in support of an important new exhibit at the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. As noted in the Independent Jewish Voices letter, “The opening of Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present marks an important contribution to public understanding in Canada about a history that has profoundly shaped the lives of Palestinian Canadians as well as millions of Palestinians globally.”
Yet there has been major backlash to the existence of this small exhibit, including from many people who have never seen it.
In accordance with United Church of Canada policy on Palestine and Israel, and respecting the work of Regional Council members who engage in just peace work, Prairie to Pine signed on to two letters in support of the exhibit, circulated by the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM) and Independent Jewish Voices in MB.
Please read the CPAM letter here. (On Facebook: you should be able to ignore the login request).
Please read the Independent Jewish Voices public letter here.
We are blessed to have this world-renowned and groundbreaking museum in our Regional Council, and you are all encouraged to visit the entire museum with your community of faith whenever you can, holding in prayer the millions of lives caught up in human rights violations. Please see excerpts from the letters below, and please read the entirety of both statements as you are able.
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From the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba:
“The Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba wholly repudiates Minister Marc Miller’s public comments regarding the Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. While the Minister has stated that he is not issuing a directive to the museum, public statements from a federal minister about what an independent exhibition ought to contain carry significant institutional weight. They create political pressure around curatorial decisions and risk undermining public confidence in the museum’s independence.
Minister Miller’s remarks also redirect public attention toward debates over historical interpretation rather than questions that fall squarely within the museum’s mandate. The objective of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is to educate the public about human rights. The ongoing experiences of Palestinians, including displacement, statelessness, and a violent military occupation represent one of the defining human rights issues of our time. Minister Miller’s remarks steer the conversation toward debates over historical framing and pull attention away from the very human rights questions the museum exists to examine.
Palestinian Canadians carry the intergenerational consequences of displacement while also witnessing the ongoing and bewildering brutalization of our families and loved ones today. These experiences warrant engagement through our national human rights museum through evidence and scholarship. Palestinian human rights cannot become subject to political pressure and Canadians expect cultural institutions that can examine human rights challenges independently without political influence.”
From Independent Jewish Voices (excerpt):
“We, the undersigned human rights and civil society organizations, write to express our support for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), its leadership, and the curatorial independence that is essential to the integrity of all public museums.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights was established to advance understanding of human rights through education and dialogue. That mission depends on the freedom to present complex histories honestly, thoughtfully, and without political interference.
The opening of Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present marks an important contribution to public understanding in Canada about a history that has profoundly shaped the lives of Palestinian Canadians as well as millions of Palestinians globally.
…Since its opening, the exhibition has been the subject of organized campaigns calling for political intervention, public condemnation, and institutional consequences… We call on the museum to remain steadfast in its commitment to independent, evidence-based curation and encourage all Canadians to engage with and visit the exhibition in the spirit of learning, reflection, and respectful dialogue.”
