The search for a home for the Wheel of Conscience may be over.
The museum piece, designed to remind spectators that in 1939, Canada turned away the MS St. Louis and its 937 passengers fleeing the Nazis, may be returning to its old home at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax.
Bernie Farber, former CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, said Jan. 27 “the museum is taking it back.”
“It’s going to be given pride of place, recognizing how important this is to Canada.”
But Martin Sampson, director of communications for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), said it’s a little premature to say the Wheel of Conscience is going back to Pier 21. “The partners working on this are not ready” to confirm that, he said. “We’re very encouraged, but discussions are still ongoing. We’re not ready to make a final announcement yet.”
For the past few months, the Wheel of Conscience has been housed in a warehouse owned by its fabricators, Soheil Mosun Limited, where it was shipped for repairs.
Last November, museum CEO Marie Chapman said the sculpture had been prone to breakdowns. A black dust formed on its gears and a burning smell arises from the exhibit.
Farber said “It’s working perfectly now. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.”
Farber credited a campaign by Holocaust survivors, including Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, and senior government officials, with influencing the apparent decision to restore the wheel to what he called its rightful place at Pier 21. The survivors group was sent an email this week saying the Wheel will return to the Halifax-based museum.
“I feel very strongly that it should stay in Halifax at Pier 21,” said Nate Leipciger, a survivor of Auschwitz and past co-president of the survivors group.
It was designed with that venue in mind and “the government agreed to commemorate [the St. Louis] at Pier 21, so that’s where it should stay,” he said.
Last November, news reports indicated the wheel had been in storage in Toronto since the summer and that Halifax’s salt air might have been contributing to its frequent breakdowns. An alternate venue for the exhibit was being contemplated.
But Farber rejected suggestions the sculpture could be housed elsewhere.
“It belongs at Pier 21,” he said. “It is the only public symbol of Holocaust remembrance in the country.”
“I am very hopeful it is going to go back. There are still some details to be worked out,” Sampson said.
In 1939, the Canadian government refused to allow the St. Louis to land at Pier 21. The governments of Cuba and the United States also turned it away. The ship was forced to return to Europe, where its passengers were disembarked in a number of countries. It’s estimated that 254 of them were killed in the Holocaust.
Canadian Jewish Congress spearheaded an effort to commemorate the historical incident. It obtained a $500,000 grant from the government of Canada and commissioned renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, himself the child of survivors, to design the piece.
The sculpture was installed at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax in 2011.
The museum is currently undergoing renovations and expansion. It is expected to reopen in May.
