Canada's Venerated Waffen SS Heroes

"The purpose of this monument is solely to remember our homeland and those that died in battles to defend Estonia's freedom from 1941 to 1945."

"Some concerns were recently expressed within our own community about displaying names, so all names of individuals were removed with no objections."

"It [monument] was designed, erected and paid for by Estonian War Veterans in the early 1970s, during a period of time when Estonia was still under occupation by the Soviet Union and with no access to any historical records."

Lia Hess, head, board of directors, Estonian Summer Camp Society Inc.

A "before" image of the monument honouring Nazi collaborators at a summer camp for children and teens at Elora, Ont. The names of those Nazi collaborators were recently removed. Photo by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal /HANDOUT

An Estonian Waffen SS veteran, Harald Nugiseks, whose name was engraved on the Swords Monument at Seedrioru, a camp for Estonia-Canadian children and teens in Elora, Ontario, not far from Toronto celebrates "Estonian heroic freedom fighters". Mr. Nugiseks was one of those heroic fighters. He died in 2014, buried with full military honours in Estonia. He had volunteered for the Waffen SS, he said in a 1993 interview, to support Nazi Germany in Europe and he rejected as errant nonsense claims that Estonians or SS soldiers rounded up and executed Jews.

"What happened to most Jews was brought on by their actions", he remarked; those who died were enemies of Estonia. While not himself holding personal animosity toward Jews, they were known to be involved in supporting the Soviets. "I only saw the Germans being very kind to those they were removing, not like what is shown on TV today", he explained. Alfons Rebane, another name on the Swords Monument was a commander of a unit in the Estonian Home Guard that took part in the roundup of 200 Roma and 950 Jews

The name of Estonian Waffen SS veteran Harald Nugiseks had been engraved on a monument at a children’s camp in Elora, Ont., but it and three other names were recently removed. Photo by Government of Germany /Handout

 

The memorial at Seedrioru was engraved with the names of four men who had served with the Waffen SS, collaborating with the genocidal regime of Adolf Hitler. Young campers and camp staff laid wreaths at the monument. Now, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust education organization, are denouncing the monument and its use in 'educating' young Estonian-Canadian children in the glories of WWII Estonian heroism.

Jaime Kirzner-Roberts of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal pointed out that those four men whose names appeared on the monument as heroes held roles during the Holocaust in the murder of Jews. They had also served in an Estonian Waffen SS division and Nazi German's highest military award was awarded to them for exemplary service.

"We are very disturbed to learn that, for decades, children attending this summer camp have been commemorating a monument for Nazi collaborators and war criminals."

"It is sickening to think that right here in our province [Ontario], children have been indoctrinated into worshiping Nazi leaders involved in committing such heinous atrocities."

Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal

Holocaust scholars validate that the Estonian SS divisions soldiers had been involved in executing up to 2,000 prisoners at the Klooga concentration camp, located in Estonia. A Canadian Heritage official in 2021 wrote: "Estonia has received significant international criticism for allowing ex-SS veterans to march in parades. More recently, it was criticized for erecting a plaque that commemorates Alfons Rebane, an SS officer and Nazi collaborator who fought the Soviets."

Research by her organization, noted Kirzner-Roberts, indicated that 15 Waffen SS members were involved in the creation and operation of the Seedrioru summer camp. "We have no knowledge of this alleged research or the alleged identities of 15 individuals", denied Lia Hess.