Inside Canada's Human Rights museum's Palestinian Nakba exhibit: What we saw

There’s been a major new development in the controversy surrounding the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ new Nakba exhibit. Canada’s Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Mark Miller, toured the exhibit before the show opened last weekend, and has now publicly criticized some of what he saw. In an interview published Monday June 29 by The Canadian Press, Miller said some wording “should be rectified”, and suggested that the museum’s board should have been shown the exhibit before it opened. He also said it was a “failure” that curators chose not to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization, or state that Jewish Israelis were targeted during the Oct. 7 attacks. The museum told The CJN it stands by its word choices, but has sent Miller’s concerns to its curation team, which has a content revision process. Before the minister’s comments became public, The CJN’s Izzie Helenchilde travelled to Winnipeg as one of the journalists invited inside the exhibit Friday,June 26 for a media preview. On this episode of “North Star”, she joins host Ellin Bessner to describe exactly what she saw and whether the exhibit matched the controversy that’s been surrounding it. You’ll also hear from some of the people she interviewed: the Museum’s CEO Isha Khan; Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian whose experience is one of the few video testimonials in the exhibit; Gail Asper, whose family founded the museum; and Rabbi Yosef Benarroch, just retired as spiritual leader of Winnipeg’s Adas Yeshurun Herzlia synagogue. Related stories Minister responsible for Canada’s museums says Nakba exhibit “should be rectified”, in The CJN. Nakba exhibit opens amidst protests and controversy, in The CJN. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ only Jewish trustee explained why he quit, on The CJN’s North Star podcast. **** Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here ) Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)