July 7, 2016
Toronto — Today, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected the Government of Canada’s request for leave to appeal in the Helmut Oberlander case. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants (CJHSD) issued the following statements:
“Oberlander was a member of a Nazi mobile killing unit that murdered more than 90,000 Jewish men, women and children during the Holocaust. He lied about his complicity in these atrocities and gained Canadian citizenship fraudulently. Based on these facts, he should be deported without further delay.
“Successive Canadian governments have taken action to revoke Oberlander’s citizenship and remove him from Canada for decades, and we commend the current government for taking initiative at the Supreme Court.
“We are disappointed in the SCC’s decision, and we encourage the Government of Canada to continue engaging fully in bringing Helmut Oberlander to justice. Though justice has been delayed, it need not be denied.”
— Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
“Let us all speak as united voices and on behalf of the victims and survivors. There is no time limit nor age consideration to bring the guilty to justice. The few remaining survivors are still suffering the loss of our loved ones and remember the brutality of the Einsatzkommando 10a and the murder of tens of thousands.”
— Nate Leipciger, Holocaust Survivor and Past Co-President of Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants (CJHSD)
-30-