Antisemitism Group Urges Halt to ‘Nakba’ Exhibit at Canadian Museum of Human Rights
The Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI) is pressing federal leaders and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) to halt work on a planned permanent installation titled Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present. AGPI confirmed it sent a detailed letter to the CMHR chief executive, as well as to Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault and Prime Minister Mark Carney, requesting that the exhibit be suspended while a thorough review is carried out.
AGPI Chair and CEO Avi Abraham Benlolo said the organization believes the Museum is preparing to introduce material that lacks important historical context and could contribute to heightened hostility toward Jewish communities already experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism nationwide. He stated that the national museum carries significant influence in shaping public conversations around human rights, adding that “the proposed exhibit—as currently framed—presents a selective and politicized narrative that risks undermining the Museum’s neutrality and credibility. A national institution must not adopt terminology or storytelling that inherently delegitimizes Israel or distorts the full historical record.”
According to AGPI, several key developments related to the creation of Israel are missing from the exhibit description in media reports. Among them are the expulsion of approximately 850,000 Jews from Arab countries during the mid-20th century, the acceptance of the UN Partition Plan by the Jewish community, the rejection of that plan by surrounding Arab states, and the regional war launched against the newly established Jewish state. AGPI also noted that Israel’s diverse and democratic character appears absent from the narrative.
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The group expressed additional concern about the Museum’s use of the term “Nakba,” which the letter calls “a politicized and pejorative term whose implicit meaning is the delegitimization of Israel,” warning that adopting such vocabulary “removes institutional neutrality and elevates a political narrative to the status of historical fact.”
AGPI said that introducing this exhibit only two years after the Hamas attacks of October 7—marked by murder, torture, rape, and mass kidnappings—raises further alarm. Benlolo argued that “attempts to normalize the Palestinian political narrative—through flag raisings or museum exhibits—are deeply troubling and risk emboldening extremist rhetoric.”
The organization is asking the government and the Museum to pause the exhibit, consult recognized historical and human-rights experts, incorporate full context from the period of 1947–1949, and reaffirm the CMHR’s mandate to provide accurate and balanced national education.
AGPI stated it is prepared to cooperate with federal officials and Museum leadership to ensure any future displays reflect shared Canadian values and a comprehensive historical record.
