Our Canadian Girl

Kathy Kacer

Why did you decide to write about refugees from the Holocaust?

My parents were refugees from the Holocaust and arrived in Canada in the late 1940s. Many of Margit's experiences of arriving in a strange country were taken from the experiences of my parents when they came here. Writing about the Holocaust is important to me because it is my family history and I believe it is so important to keep those stories alive for future generations.

What kind of research did you do to find out about the world Margit lived in?

I have the stories my parents told me of what life was like in Toronto when they arrived here after the war. I have also spoken with other Jewish refugees who came at that time. In addition, there are a number of historical books that have been written about the experiences of Jewish refugees arriving in Canada in the 1940s and 50s. I have read many of them, and drew on that history for my own story.

What do you think was most different about life in that time?

For young Margit, arriving in Canada the language would be the thing she probably found most different. It must have been so difficult for her to arrive in a new country and not understand a word that was being spoken. Everyone looked different and sounded different to her.

Do you think that Margit would be a very different person if she were growing up today?

Hopefully, today Margit would not have to suffer the kind of discrimination she felt from some young people, just because of her religion. She had just left a country in Europe where she was discriminated again because she was Jewish. And when she arrived in Toronto, there were some people who were also intolerant. In today's world, her experience would hopefully be different.

Would you want to go back and live in that time yourself?

I am so happy that I did not have to live through the Holocaust and the years following. I can't imagine how my family was able to endure those times. I am also so grateful that they were amongst the lucky ones who survived to pass their stories on to me.