NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem
David Eisenstadt
Communications Counsel
416-696-9900 ext. 36
deisenstadt@tcgpr.com
PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER RECEIVES
THE ‘GUARDIAN OF OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE AWARD’
FROM THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM
Prime Minister Harper holds the Carol Deutsch Portfolio, presented by The Canadian Society for Yad
Vashem as “The Guardian of our Children's Future Award.” (R-L) Canadian Society for Yad Vashem
Vice Chair Joe Gottdenker, Executive Director Yaron Ashkenazi, National Chair Fran Sonshine and
James Adam Gottdenker.
DRAFT: OTTAWA – November 26, 2010 – The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has
received a ‘Guardian of our Children’s Future Award’ from The Canadian Society for Yad
Vashem.
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The award included a replica of a Holocaust-era art portfolio, containing 99 illustrations of
biblical heroes and narratives that were painted by Jewish-Belgian artist Carol Deutsch in
Antwerp 1942. Also presented to the prime minister was a framed replica of a Carol Deutsch
painting and last postcard sent by Deutsch to his daughter just prior to his deportation to
Auschwitz.
Said Fran Sonshine, National Chair, the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, “In the spirit of
Carol Deutsch’s remarkable fortitude and legacy, Prime Minister Harper’s leadership in the
cause of human rights and human dignity and his mission to educate Canadians in the
universal lessons of the ‘Shoah’ (Holocaust) stand as his legacy to future generations of
Canadians.”
Fran continued, “I am proud to be Canadian under the strong leadership of our prime minister
and his government which understands the necessity to foster greater awareness amongst
Canadians in their mission to combat racism, intolerance and bigotry.”
Joe Gottdenker, a Holocaust Survivor, himself hidden as a child by Catholics during the war,
was especially moved to be present at the meeting, as he felt tied in spirit to the story of Ingrid
also hidden by Catholics.
In Antwerp of 1942, when Jewish existence was threatened with extinction, Deutsch created
his last work- the Carol Deutsch Portfolio. Deutsch lovingly placed the paintings in a handmade
ornamented wooden box, as a birthday present for his two year old daughter, Ingrid. As a
father who understood the tenuousness of his own continued existence, Mr. Deutsch sought to
leave Ingrid with a legacy of his Jewish identity.
Carol Deutsch and his wife, Fela, were transported to Auschwitz, where Fela was immediately
selected and sent to the gas chambers. Deutsch was later sent to Buchenwald and died of
exhaustion. At war’s end, five-year-old Ingrid, who was hidden with a Catholic family in the
countryside, returned with her grandmother to her home in Antwerp. While their apartment was
completely looted by the Nazis, the wooden box miraculously survived.
Further to Ingrid’s wishes following her death, the Carol Deutsch portfolio was bequeathed to
Yad Vashem, where it is on display in the Yad Vashem Museum of Holocaust Art in Israel. A
father’s personal bequest to his daughter has become a symbol of stalwart resistance to
everything the Nazis attempted to obliterate. The very fact that Deutsch undertook this creative
endeavour under such circumstances cannot but be a source of hope and inspiration for postHolocaust generations. It demonstrates the indispensible freedom of the person, whose body
may be forced into submission, but never the fount of his creativity or intellect.
The Carol Deutsch Portfolio replicates Deutsch’s oustanding artistic expression and is
presented to world leaders and individuals who demonstrate the highest commitment to
“Zachor” (Remembrance).
Yaron Ashkenazi, Executive Director, stated, “The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem gifted
the Prime Minister with the Carol Deutsch portfolio and the Guardian of Our Children’s Future
award, as a tribute to the values of tolerance and human rights that his government
engenders, represents, and pursues. It is part of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem’s
comprehensive educational agenda, as we implement Yad Vashem’s vision in Canada, to
educate all Canadians in the lessons of the Shoah, so that tolerance and understanding is
fostered between Canadians, whatever their beliefs or background.”
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ABOUT THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM
The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem is one of Yad Vashem’s largest and most prominent of
its 28 representative bodies worldwide. The Society supports Yad Vashem’s initiatives and
implements its important vision across Canada. Through its educational and commemorative
activities, the Society carries out Yad Vashem’s mission of ensuring that the Holocaust and its
lessons are forever engraved in the memory of humankind.www.yadvashem.ca
ABOUT YAD VASHEM
Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Remembrance and Education Centre in Jerusalem is the
universal guardian and imparter of the Shoah’s (Holocaust’s) legacy and the protector of
human values. Visited by over one million people annually, Yad Vashem is internationally
recognized as being at the forefront of Holocaust commemoration, education, documentation,
and research. www.YadVashem.org