Uncovering Sherbrooke’s hidden history of Jewish internment
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
On Nov. 6, Holocaust Education Week will be marked in Sherbrooke with a significant event highlighting a lesser-known chapter of local history. Ian Darragh, former editor-in-chief of Canadian Geographic, will deliver a bilingual presentation at Hope Community Church in Lennoxville at 7 p.m. Organized by four institutions—the Eastern Townships Resource Centre, Lennoxville Library, Lennoxville-Ascot Historical and Museum Society, and the Musée d’histoire de Sherbrooke—the event is free to the public and will coincide with the paperback release of “Blatant Injustice”, a memoir by Walter W. Igersheimer, edited by Darragh and published by McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Darragh’s presentation will delve into the experiences of Jewish refugees who were interned in Sherbrooke and other locations across Canada during World War II. In a recent interview, Darragh explained his personal connection to Igersheimer and the profound impact the story had on him. “I knew Dr. Walter Igersheimer from a very young age,” Darragh shared. “He became like a father to me, and our families were close, spending every summer and vacation together.”
One story Darragh shared highlighted the bond he formed with Igersheimer during a hiking trip in the Swiss Alps when he was a teenager. “We were caught in a sudden blizzard, and Walter, who had about 10 per cent vision, couldn’t see,” Darragh recalled. “I guided him down the mountain, and he later told me, ‘You’ve saved my life.’ He wanted to adopt me as a son because he always wanted one.” This early connection was pivotal, setting the stage for Darragh’s later involvement in Igersheimer’s memoir.
The book “Blatant Injustice” emerged from a manuscript that Igersheimer wrote after his release from the internment camp in Sherbrooke, known as Camp N. Darragh described how the manuscript came to light. “Walter was blind by 2000 and moving into a condo when he came across a trunk containing the manuscript he had written right after his release. He asked me if I wanted to see it,” Darragh explained. The manuscript, a detailed account of the internment, revealed the harsh conditions Igersheimer and other Jewish refugees faced.
