Blog – Page 6 – Suzanne Berliner Weiss

Down with white supremacy!

There was a wonderful rally of several thousands in Toronto on Sun., Oct. 15, 2017 at which many leaders of the community called for unity against white supremacists and racism.

Below is the speech I gave.

Down with white supremacy!

The Nazis killed my mother, Fajga Berliner, in Auschwitz because she was Jewish and therefore subhuman. That’s Nazi white supremacy in action. My mother was among its tens of millions of victims.

We join today against this poisonous doctrine. White supremacy was expressed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in a violent racist rally two months ago. Imagine! That rally got encouragement from the U.S. presidency. Shame!

The racists in Charlottesville brandished the symbols of Nazism: swastikas and hatred of Jews. What does this mean? Continue reading Down with white supremacy!

Resisting Fascism: A lesson from Auvergne

A talk to Ideas Left Outside, August 5, 2017

suzanne-berliner and mother — Suzanne and her mother, Fajga Berliner (1943)

In the winter of 2017, I received an invitation to spend a week giving media interviews and talks to high-school students in Clermont-Ferrand, the main city in Auvergne, a rural area in Central France. My topic was how I had been hidden in Auvergne during the Nazi occupation almost 75 years ago. The initiative came from the main Jewish organization there. They had heard of me during a previous visit to Auvergne, when reporters tracked me down for interviews. Continue reading Resisting Fascism: A lesson from Auvergne

Hassan Diab: France’s new Dreyfus Affair*

Introduction:

On Oct. 3 1980 at 6:38 p.m. a Paris synagogue on Copernic Street in Paris was bombed during prayer services which resulted in four dead and 46 injured. It was reported as the first deadly attack against Jewish people in France since the end of the Second World War. It wasn’t until 2011 that France requested the extradition of Prof. Hassan Diab for his alleged involvement in the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing.

Sign letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for justice!

On April 4, 2012, the Canadian Conservative Minister of Justice, Rob Nicholson, ordered Diab extradited to France. On November 14, 2014, Hassan was extradited from Canada to France where he is languishing in prison while the investigation into the 36-year old crime continues. Continue reading Hassan Diab: France’s new Dreyfus Affair*

Six three-minute speeches …

I’ve learned to make concise and cogent speeches in the three minutes appropriate for rallies and meetings. Of the several dozen “three-minute” talks I have on file, here are six examples.

Against Islamophobia and white supremacy

The video version of this speech made a rally against Islamophobia and white supremacy went viral and received over 26,000 views as of this posting.

I speak today as a survivor of the Jewish Holocaust. Nazism took the lives of most of my family and six million my Jewish community. I and so many other Holocaust survivors are here only because of people united to protect us.

What is anti Semitism? It is simply the hatred of Jewish people. Amazingly, Donald Trump honoured the Holocaust by omitting, and in essence denying history. He forgot to mention that that six million Jews were murdered in the attempt to eliminate the whole Jewish people. It’s amazing that we heard no one object to this omission, and we especially did not hear a peep from Israel who prides itself on building a Jewish state. Continue reading Six three-minute speeches …

Against Islamophobia and white supremacy

The video version of this speech made a rally against Islamophobia and white supremacy went viral and received over 26,000 views as of this posting.

Montreal protest supports Chippewas, calls for Line 9 shutdown

28 December 2016 – In Montreal, protesters called for an end to the 9B pipeline on Dec. 18, walking through snow and sleet from Suncor refinery in Montreal East to Montreal City Hall. The protest marks one year since Enbridge Inc. began transporting its dangerous oil from Alberta to Montreal through Line 9.

Stopping along the route of their 16-kilometre march, the protesters expressed their views to those who stood to listen. “Enbridge Line 9B is a threat to our drinking water,” said Louise Morand, a member of Regroupement Vigilance Hydrocarbures Quebec (RVHQ), which is made up of 130 citizens groups across the province. Continue reading Montreal protest supports Chippewas, calls for Line 9 shutdown

A historic demonstration of indigenous unity for land, clean air, water

7 November 2016 – In Toronto, on Saturday, November 5, we participated in an event that could be called historic. About five thousand indigenous peoples and supporters from many different communities from across the city united in support of the Sioux in North Dakota. Their fight is against a pipeline that would carry dangerous oil sands on their territory without their consent.

Standing Rock will not stand alone

The event was organized by the indigenous peoples themselves, speaking in their own voices, in the largest indigenous outpouring I have witnessed. A panorama of homemade signs told the tale: Among them were, “Water Is Life; Mother Is Earth; Stand with Standing Rock; No Pipelines on Indigenous Land; Leave the Oil in the Soil; We Can’t Drink Oil; Stop the Slaughter. Continue reading A historic demonstration of indigenous unity for land, clean air, water

Fair Play! Building solidarity with revolutionary Cuba (1960-1970)

9 October 2016 — The triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959 gave rise to widespread solidarity work in the U.S. and Canada, organized through Fair Play for Cuba committees. Two participants in this experience report here on its scope and lessons.

John Riddell and Suzanne Weiss gave the following joint talk on the work of Fair Play for Cuba on July 31, 2016, at a conference of Ideas Left Outside at Elbow Lake, Ontario. For other writings on Fair Play for Cuba, see below.

John Riddell: On September 2, 1960, one million Cubans gathered in Havana in a General Assembly of the Cuban people to hear and approve Cuba’s reply to U.S. attacks on its sovereignty. This statement, known as the First Declaration of Havana, pledged Cuba to nothing less than a hemispheric struggle for freedom from U.S. domination. Continue reading Fair Play! Building solidarity with revolutionary Cuba (1960-1970)

Climate crisis and respect for Mother Earth

The following talk was given by Suzanne Weiss and John Riddell at Glen Rhodes United Church, Toronto, September 18, 2016.

Suzanne Weiss: What will Toronto’s weather be like thirty years from now? A study commissioned by Toronto City Hall says climate change will hit our city hard. Within thirty years:

Extreme rain storms will be three times heavier.
Days with extreme heat will be five times more frequent.
The need for air conditioning will be six times greater.

Continue reading Climate crisis and respect for Mother Earth

My personal historical research finds current resonance

9 October 2015 – In September I accompanied Suzanne Weiss on a research trip concerning the work of anti-Nazi resistance in France 1940-45 to save Jewish children. Suzanne’s work took an unexpected turn, becoming part of present debate on attitudes to refugees. Here is her report. For the French text, see Europe Solidaire. — John Riddell

Toronto, 1 October 2015 – Last month I visited Auvergne, a farming region in central France where, as a Jewish child of two, I was protected from the Nazis by a peasant family. It was the third time I had gone there with John Riddell, my husband, to find out where and how I had been saved from the Holocaust.

To my surprise, this time reporters sought me out for interviews to learn my story. How am I connected to Auvergne? Why was I interviewing villagers? Why did I seek the place where I had been hidden? Continue reading My personal historical research finds current resonance