'We should not forget'

Holocaust survivor Francis Weil often sees the same reaction whenever he speaks about the horrific events that happened to Jews in Nazi Germany and other occupied European countries.

Weil, who escaped with his parents and brother into Switzerland from Nazi-occupied France at only four years old in 1942, has given many speeches describing his family’s story of survival.

The reaction from most people is shock and horror when they hear the details of the Holocaust.

Although the tragedy of the Holocaust, which saw approximately six million Jews murdered, is difficult for most to comprehend, it’s an important piece of history to commemorate, said Weil.

“Because we should not forget,” Weil said during an interview with The Guardian. “These kind of things have not stopped, they’re still going on. We still have genocides. Cambodia (in the late 1970s) for instance.”

Weil was guest speaker at the annual Holocaust Memorial, or Yom HaShoah, at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown Monday night.

The memorial also saw a candle-lighting ceremony, a table of remembrance and a reading of victims’ names.

Rosalie Simeone, chair of the P.E.I. Holocaust Education Committee, said the ceremony has been held in the province since the day was recognized by the legislative assemblies across the country 14 years ago. The date is determined each year according to the Jewish lunar calendar.

Simeone said every year the group gets a different speaker who brings his or her own story.

“The wonderful thing is that people who went through the Holocaust can talk about it now and help educate other people,” said Simeone. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the kindest, gentlest and most giving people over the years who’ve helped me arrange this. It’s an honour to associate with those people.”

Weil, who has presented to many schools as well, added that many children he’s talked to know little about the event.

“I think it’s important we let them know,” he said.

During Monday’s ceremony, Weil gave some historical background on the Holocaust as well as speaking about his own personal experience.

“I was just a little boy at that time,” he said, adding he remembers little from the Second World  War.

“Not too much. Just some very small souvenirs I have, but my mother talked to me about it.”

Weil was born in November, 1938, the same night that the infamous Kristallnacht was happening in Germany.

When the family fled in 1942, the escape was not without its dangers. Jews were still at risk of being of being arrested by Nazis and sent to concentration and death camps.

Luckily, the Weil family was able to escape the horror when it crossed the French-Swiss border.

Weil obtained an education in physics and math before moving to Canada, where he began a teaching career in the engineering department of Universite de Moncton. Weil has served on the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission and as president and vice-president of the Moncton Jewish Community.