Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies

MIGS was founded in 1986 by Dr Frank Chalk and the late Dr Kurt Jonassohn. Thanks to the John Lemieux Student and Faculty Fellowships, in recent years Concordia faculty members and students from the Department of Journalism, Department Political Science and the School of Public Policy have collaborated with MIGS on numerous initiatives. MIGS is a Concordia University think tank that exists autonomously from the university's departments.

The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies is recognized internationally as Canada’s leading institute working at the intersection of human rights, conflict prevention and emerging technologies. MIGS is an applied policy think tank that works to inform public policy in Canada and abroad with the goal of protecting human rights. The institute has achieved national and international recognition for its role as a leadership and ideas incubator working with policymakers, academics, UN officials, civil society organizations and journalists from Canada and all over the world.

Develop major projects and initiatives focusing on the prevention and punishment of mass atrocity crimes.

Provide decisionmakers with insights and advocate for innovative public policies on global threats to human rights.

Educate students, academics, journalists, government officials, civil society groups, and the wider public on threats to the national interest arising from human rights violations

Provide professional training opportunities for international and national leaders in key human rights areas.

Train and offer internships to students and young professionals.

Develop and foster fruitful relationships and networks at the local, national and international levels by working in collaboration with leading organizations and institutions.

Memoirs of Holocaust Survivors in Canada

Published by the Concordia University Chair in Canadian Jewish Studies (1)

Series Editors Mervin Butovsky and Kurt Jonassohn

Assistant Editor Karin Björnson

Introduction

The project to collect unpublished diaries and memoirs written by Holocaust survivors in Canada was initiated some years ago by Professors Mervin Butovsky and Kurt Jonassohn. They thought it important that these documents be preserved as a valuable part of the historical record because their contents would differ in significant ways from interview testimonies. Some of these differences are explored in a paper. (2)

The collected manuscripts were deposited in the Archives of Concordia University with the addition of an abstract and a list of key words with explanations. The location of towns and villages was ascertained by consulting standard reference works. The location of camps was facilitated by consulting Weinmann who identifies over 2,000 camps. (3) These memoirs are now accessible to interested scholars by consulting the Concordia University Archives.

At the present time we are launching the project Memoirs of Holocaust Survivors In Canada that will enable us to bring these testimonies to a wider audience. Therefore, at irregular intervals, time and funds permitting, we are issuing some of these materials on the Internet. In addition, a small number of copies will be printed for deposit in relevant libraries and Holocaust Centres.

In all cases, the authors or their representatives have given permission for this form of publication, with the provision that they will continue to retain the copyright.

The abstracts and key words of all of the manuscripts collected to date are available below and the following volumes of memoirs are currently available.

An overview of publications can be found here.