ELORA – Members of Seedrioru, an Estonian cultural centre outside Elora, are reeling after accusations that a summer camp it offers for children of its members secretly honours Nazis.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) released a statement on July 26 that it had uncovered evidence that a monument at Seedrioru honours four Estonian leaders of the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the Nazi Party, and other military units involved in Nazi atrocities in the Second World War.
The monument, which is shaped like a sword, bears the names of Colonel Alfons Rebane, Harald Riipalu, Paul Maitla and Harald Nugiseks, with the emblem of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, also known as the 1st Estonian, engraved at the bottom.
According to FSWC, “All four were awarded the Nazi Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award given to military personnel during the Nazi period.
“Harald Riipalu was also the commander of the 36th Police Battalion in Estonia that participated in the August 7, 1942, massacre of almost all of the remaining Jews in the town of Nowogrodek in Belarus.”
FSWC also states that at least 15 people listed as honorary members of the Canadian Estonian community who played a role in forming Seedrioru in 1956 “have the same names as people with direct ties to the Waffen-SS,” including former chairman August Jurs, who served in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS and authored the book Estonian Freedom Fighters in World War Two.
And until a few weeks ago, the Seedrioru website had photos of children laying wreaths at the monument.
“We are shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that for five decades, a summer camp right here in Ontario has been celebrating Nazi war criminals who were involved in the genocide against Estonia’s Jews as part of the Holocaust,” said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, FSWC senior director of policy and advocacy.
“It’s sickening that for several generations, this camp has been indoctrinating children into worshipping Nazi Waffen-SS leaders, men who not only committed war crimes but also were among the enemies of Canada that our veterans fought so courageously, often sacrificing their lives, to defeat during the Second World War.”
Lia Hess, the current chair of the Estonian Summer Camp Society, is flabbergasted by the accusations.
In an email, Hess said Estonians condemn war crimes and acts of terror by both the Nazi and Soviet regimes and that the summer camp has never been about politics.
“The Estonian children’s camp has operated as a non-profit organization for close to 70 years and has always focused solely on the preservation and teaching of the Estonian language, customs and traditions, together with the typical, mostly outdoor summer camp activities like sports, swimming and campfires.
“Estonian history or global politics have never been part of the camp’s programming,” she said.
Hess reiterated, “The Estonian Summer Camp does not now and has never honoured Nazi collaborators and our children have never been indoctrinated into worshipping Nazi leaders as alleged.”
Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Red Army and then by German Nazis in the Second World War and then again by the Soviets, who occupied Estonia until 1991, when Estonia finally gained its independence.
Some Estonians who fled their country in the 1950s and landed in southern Ontario, pooled their funds and purchased the property outside Elora to build a place where they could speak their own language and carry out their own traditions.
Hess said the memorial was erected in the early 1980s when Estonia was occupied by Soviet Russia.
“It was initiated and installed by Estonian war veterans who came to Canada as refugees in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. All have passed away and this left-over relic has had no association to the camp,” Hess said.
“It is our understanding, that the purpose of a monument was to remember our homeland and the fallen who died in battles defending Estonia.”
She also acknowledged that over the years, members of the Estonian community had begun to question the relevance of the wording on the monument and collectively they decided to remove the names and symbols.
“We remember and honor what was taken: our country, our freedom and thousands of innocent lives… Estonians in Canada will always appreciate the freedom we have in Canada,” she said.
“The Estonian-Canadian Community always encourages dialogue and ongoing communication between all other communities to come to a better understanding of who we are and what we value.”
But the FSWC doesn’t accept that.
“The deep Nazi roots of the Seedrioru camp just further underline the sad facts we already know – that after the Holocaust too many of those who fought for fascism were admitted into Canada never to be brought to justice for their horrific actions as Nazis,” Kirzner-Roberts added.
“Our country fought bravely to defeat Hitler but sadly it also later provided sanctuary for those who served Hitler.
“This is a stain on our country that can’t be removed by simply wiping names off a monument.
“It’s long past time for Canada to take responsibility for this dark chapter of our history that leaves us today with a Nazi statue at a children’s camp.”
