North Bay’s Jewish community disappointed by PPC candidate’s tweet comparing vaccine rules to Holocaust
Members of North Bay's Jewish community are disappointed in People’s Party of Canada candidate Greg Galante, who compared COVID-19 measures to the Holocaust.
Galante tweeted that there are parallels between current public health guidelines and the events leading up to the Holocaust.
“There’s fair points to debate when it comes to COVID response,” said Larry Fuld, treasurer of Sons of Jacob Synagogue. “But, I don’t think anything that’s been said or done which comes close to comparing it to what happened in Nazi Germany.”
Before the Nazis sent the Jews to the concentration camps, Adolf Hitler’s government began isolating them from society. This included the boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, Jews were forced to identify themselves with the Star of David and they were separated into ghettos.
Half of Fuld’s father’s family perished in concentration camps, while other family members were able to flee Nazi Germany in 1941.
“I can assure you that that they weren’t fleeing the public health policy of the time,” said Fuld. “That wasn’t the issue.”
Galante was responding to a tweet posted by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson where he called out those who are comparing masks and vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.
“How did the Holocaust start?" Galante tweeted back. "Oh that’s right with a systemic and programmed stigmatization of a certain segment of society. They were demonized, labeled, targeted and then ultimately rounded up.”
CTV News offered Galante a chance to clarify his stance. He initially agreed to an interview, but then cancelled.
Fuld said the comparison has no merit.
“It’s disappointing to see a candidate for political office make what I consider an absurd statement,” he said.
Dr. Jim Chirico, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit medical officer of health, also condemned the tweet during a Thursday morning media conference.
“People recognize a statement like that for what it is: absurd,” Chirico said.
Wednesday marked the start of Yom Kippur. It is the holiest time of the year in Judaism. Fuld said the comment made by Galante disrespects everyone who suffered through the Nazi reign of terror.
“It’s not appropriate on any day, the comment,” he said. “It’s an affront to all of those poor souls who were tortured and murdered in those camps.”
Fuld said he hopes Galante will reflect on his tweet and do research on the horrors of the Holocaust.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.