Mark Berlin, a Liberal-appointed Jewish member of the board of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, has resigned and called on Heritage Minister Marc Miller to investigate what he describes as institutionalized anti-Zionism at the museum. Berlin's resignation came just before the opening of a new exhibit titled 'Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present,' which he argues presents a one-sided narrative that erases crucial historical context.
Nakba exhibit sparks controversy
The exhibit, set to open Saturday, uses the term 'Nakba'—Arabic for catastrophe—to describe the founding of Israel in 1948. Critics, including Berlin, say the term is frequently used by antisemitic protesters, Islamic terror groups, and hard-left activists to portray Israel as a genocidal invader that displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Berlin contends that this narrative is used to justify atrocities against Israelis as 'resistance' and to challenge the legitimacy of Western nations, including Canada, as colonial constructs.
In his resignation letter, Berlin wrote that the museum is presenting the Nakba narrative as indisputable truth. 'The museum has a statutory and moral obligation to tell the full truth, not to sacrifice it at the altar of politics,' he stated. 'The museum loses its legitimacy when it presents as historical truth a narrative that erases a crucial part of history.'
Board's only Jewish member speaks out
Berlin, who was the only Jewish member on the board, said the exhibit is needlessly divisive and represents 'a profound failure to bring communities together.' He noted that his efforts to bring a more balanced perspective to the exhibit's development were unsuccessful, undermining his confidence in the museum. 'Presenting the Palestinian displacement of 1948 without its proper historical and political context offers a narrow, one-sided argument of history that can only deepen the distrust and animosity that currently exists between Jews and Muslims in this country,' he wrote.
Berlin had been trying to stop the exhibit for months, testifying before a Senate human rights committee in early December that the issue had generated more than 20,000 emails, both for and against the exhibit.
B'nai Brith supports Berlin
B'nai Brith Canada published Berlin's letter and voiced support. CEO Simon Wolle said in a statement, 'Mishandling of the exhibit should concern every Canadian. It is not only about the potential harm to the Jewish community, but what it says about the state of our federal institutions.'
Minister Miller distances himself
Heritage Minister Marc Miller has distanced himself from the controversy, stating that it is not his role to dictate museum policy. 'It is not the place of the minister or any member of the House to dictate museum policy and what is curated and what is not,' he told the House of Commons this month. Meanwhile, Miller's department published a 2023 document referring to museums as 'colonial institutions' and recommending that conventional exhibits address 'climate change, equity, diversity and inclusion.'
