How silent were the churches?

Canada's reluctance to admit refugees in 1933-45 cast a shadow on the country's Churches; questions whether they were vocal enough on behalf of European Jews. Examines the records of the main Canadian Protestant denominations - United Church, Church of England in Canada, Baptist, Lutheran, and some others - trying to assess what their attitudes were toward the plight of the Jews under Nazism as well as their attempts to intercede on behalf of the Jews. As a whole, the Churches were relatively passive and their stances toward the Jews were ambivalent, although some Church leaders made great efforts to influence both the government and public opinion. Aside from theological anti-Judaism, there were other factors which impeded the Churches' activities: the depression, nativism, isolationism, and pro-German sympathies. The United Church, Anglicans, and Baptists were more vocal, whereas Presbyterians and Mennonites were virtually silent. In some cases, the motives of leaders who spoke on behalf of Jews and against Nazism were based on the "Anglo-Saxon tradition of love for liberty" or simple practicality. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)