Members of the Jewish community say more needs to be done to educate the public about the Holocaust as a national memorial continues to be used as a backdrop for photo shoots, fashion campaigns and music videos.
The National Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa, opened in 2017, is located downtown at the corner of Wellington and Booth Streets.
The memorial is intended to ensure that “the lessons of the Holocaust, as well as the remarkable contribution that Holocaust survivors have made to Canada, remain in the national consciousness for generations to come,” according to the website of the Commission of the National Capital, which is responsible for maintaining. this
The Holocaust is one of the worst genocides in human history, with more than six million Jews killed during World War II.
Andrea Freedman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, says photo shoots and music videos have no place at the Holocaust Memorial. (Nicole Williams/CBC)
The design of the memorial includes tall, dark concrete slabs with several murals inside depicting scenes from the Holocaust. There are also signs inside with facts about what happened. Large signs on either side of the site’s entrances read “National Holocaust Memorial.”
Despite this, numerous people have flocked to the site to use it as a backdrop for photos and videos that have nothing to do with honoring the victims and survivors. Several people have tagged themselves on Instagram, posing at the memorial.
Local clothing company V Kentay has recently faced criticism both online and offline for doing this.
A video she posted on her social media platforms and website last year, which has recently gained attention, shows a model wearing pieces from a new swimwear collection posing around the monument. At least two more of the company’s videos had been filmed there.
Screenshots from a company’s fashion campaign videos where a model walks the monument wearing designs from a local clothing company. The company apologized and removed the videos after online backlash. (V Kentay/YouTube)
“Knowing that this place has been desecrated, that its memory has been desecrated and that a place of dark reflection and education was used in a fashion shoot, not the first time, is incredibly frustrating and disheartening,” said Andrea freedman president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.
Although the space itself is public with no official rules about photography and videography, Freedman said people should understand the intended use.
The photo shoot at the National Holocaust Memorial draws criticism
Ottawa clothing company V Kentay released several videos of a model posing at the National Holocaust Memorial last year, drawing criticism both online and offline.
She welcomes people to take photos for themselves and even post photos or selfies with the monument online. However, this should always be done respectfully with the intention of educating people about the Holocaust.
When contacted by CBC, V Kentay co-founder Phoebe Genus issued an apology.
“It has come to our attention that V Kentay has offended the Ottawa and Jewish community,” Genus wrote in an emailed statement.
“From a creative perspective, the memorial art seemed like a perfect fit for what my team and I were looking for aesthetically for that particular campaign,” he wrote.
“I was wrong to consider the political or emotional implications this decision might have had. I offer my deepest apologies and regret making this decision. I made an honest and immature mistake as a new employer.”
The videos have since been removed from the company’s website and social media platforms.
However, other members of the Jewish community said it serves as a good reminder of the need for Holocaust education.
Mina Cohn, left, and Judy Young are part of the Center for Holocaust Education and Scholarship in Ottawa. They say more education is needed about the monument and what it means to both the Jewish community and Canadians. (Nicole Williams/CBC)
Since the memorial opened five years ago, Mina Cohn, president of the Center for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES), said she has seen several photographers and videographers at the sight, shooting Instagram ads, campaigns fashion and music videos.
“It’s very upsetting that it’s happening again and it’s not the first time it’s happened,” he said.
Judy Young, another CHES member and a Holocaust survivor herself, said she is not interested in seeing these people punished, but that more needs to be done to inform the public.
“I think there should be more information, not just about the monument itself, but information about what the significance of this place is,” he said, whether the NCC, the federal Heritage Department or CHES as community organization