Hong Kong, Ortona, Normandy, Caen, Falaise, the Scheldt, Arnhem, the North Atlantic. Students of history, particularly the Second World War, would likely recognize these locations as places where Canadian soldiers distinguished themselves in battle. But even they might not be fully aware that the country’s Jewish soldiers fought in those engagements in large numbers.
Until recently, that Jewish contribution to Canada’s war effort was not recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada, but thanks to the persistent advocacy and research done by veteran journalist Ellin Bessner, that lacuna has been addressed.
Veterans Affairs Canada recently added a section to the ministry’s website that focuses on the contributions of Jewish soldiers, sailors and airmen. Their wartime efforts are now told alongside those of black-Canadians, Chinese-Canadians and indigenous-Canadians, in a section titled, “Remembering those who served.”
“More than 17,000 men and women from our nation’s tiny wartime Jewish community of 168,000 residents would serve in uniform during the conflict, putting their lives on the line in the cause of peace and freedom,” the website states.
“Jews took part in all of Canada’s major battles – from Hong Kong to Dieppe, Ortona to D-Day, and beyond. They served with distinction and nearly 200 of their ranks received decorations for gallantry and other official citations for their exemplary service. These contributions came at a high cost, however, with nearly 450 Jewish-Canadians losing their lives during the Second World War.”
That excerpt is a small part of the presentation, which includes sections on the home front, the prejudices that Jewish soldiers faced after they enlisted, their record of service in the various branches of the military and a summary of the assistance they gave to the Holocaust survivors they encountered at the end of the war.
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Veterans Affairs Canada also acknowledged the role played by Bessner in developing the materials.
Bessner, the author of Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II, noted that the addition of the section outlining the Jewish contributions to the war effort corresponded to the 80th anniversary of the start of the war in September 1939.
Young people and others researching Canada’s role in the war often turn to the Veterans Affairs website for information. So the inclusion of the Jewish contribution is important for the historical record, she said.
Bessner’s own interest in the subject dates back to her time as a foreign correspondent with the CBC. Nearly 20 years ago, she covered the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Italy, in which more than 90,000 Canadian soldiers played a significant part.
In 2011, during a visit to the military cemetery in Normandy, she made a point of looking for headstones with a Jewish star, and found 18.
One stone, she recalled, bore the inscription, “He died so Jewry shall suffer no more.”
“It was so powerful, it sent me on a journey I’m still on now,” she said.
Adding to her interest was the fact that nine members of her own family served in the Army, Navy and Air Force. One was a wireless operator and air gunner. A great-aunt served in the military police.
Few of the returning veterans wanted to talk about their wartime experiences. They wanted to come home, make a living, start a family and put it all behind them, Bessner said.
But her interest in the subject wouldn’t abate. In 2014, she wrote a cover story for The CJN on the subject and she continued the research that led to the publication of Double Threat.
The title was based on a 1947 letter from Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to the Jewish community, in which he thanked them for their wartime contribution and pointing out that Hitler was a double threat to the Jewish servicemen, as they were fighting against Nazi aggression and for the survival of the Jewish people.
When Bessner looked at the Veterans Affairs website, she was “stunned” that it did not include an acknowledgment of the Jewish role in the conflict, even thought there were segments that looked at the wartime efforts of hockey players and other minority groups.
She contacted Veterans Affairs and, about two and a half years ago, they agreed “to rectify the wrong, to give the Jewish community its place,” she said.
Bessner worked with Veterans Affairs, providing it with information and vintage photographs.
She’s gratified that Jewish servicemen and women are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
“Every one of the 17,000 who served was to me a hero. They left their homes, their families, put themselves in danger for Canada, the Jewish people and the world,” she said.