WINNIPEG – The head of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights says it’s unfortunate that a trustee resigned over an exhibit on displaced Palestinians, but she stands by the decision to open it to the public on Saturday.
The exhibit, titled “Uprooted Palestine: Nakba Past and Present,” focuses on the people affected by the Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe. About 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced in 1948 during fighting for control of what is now Israel.
The exhibit has been in the works for four years, although Canadian Palestinians have been calling for their stories to be told at the Winnipeg museum since it opened in 2014.
Jewish groups have raised concerns that the exhibition could fuel anti-Semitism by not providing more historical context and that it was created without sufficient consultation and transparency.
Dozens of people gathered outside the museum late Friday afternoon to protest the exhibit. They held signs that read “Don’t erase the Jewish experience” and “Facts not feelings.”
Earlier this week, board member Mark Berlin submitted his resignation, accusing the museum of presenting ideology instead of accurate history.
“It’s unfortunate that (Berlin) chose to resign based on his opinions about this exhibit and what he knew about it,” Isha Khan, the museum’s chief executive, said Friday.
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“Board governance is meant to manage differing opinions and make decisions that are in the best interest of this museum and ensure that we deliver on our mandate. I believe that’s what our board has done — supported this museum to do the work to deliver on our mandate.”
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Berlin, which had not seen the exhibition before resigning, said it did not accept the estimated 850,000 Jews who were forced to leave Arab countries in the years after Israel was created.
He said presenting the 1948 Palestinian displacement without proper historical and political context could deepen the mistrust and hostility that exists between Jews and Muslims in Canada.
Khan said the stories of Canadian Palestinians are underrepresented in the museum’s galleries.
She said she has heard criticism from people and groups who have not yet seen the Nakba exhibition and challenged them to see it with compassion and empathy.
“Sharing the experiences of one community does not diminish or negate the experience of another.”
Khan said the museum is committed to telling stories about Jewish displacement in the future. And she encouraged those criticizing the exhibition to enter the space first.
“Then we can have a constructive discussion about what their concerns are and what they might be. Up until this point, a lot of those concerns have been based on what might be and fear.”
The museum invited the media to view the exhibit on Friday.
Occupying about 12 meters of an existing gallery, it includes video evidence, photographs, art and writings. Title deeds, house keys and clothing with deep red embroidery are also among the objects featured.
A timeline refers to displacement on both sides: “Before, during and after the war, hundreds of thousands of people became refugees. These included Palestinian Arabs as well as Jews from surrounding countries.”
Short videos on a small screen share first-hand accounts of Canadian Palestinians displaced in 1948.
Isabelle Masson, curator of the exhibition, spoke to about 10 Canadian Palestinians in Winnipeg and Montreal about the project.
She said their stories helped the team understand the historical impacts of displacement and highlighted the hope of Palestinians.
“The exhibition contains stories about this intergenerational trauma, about loss and uprooting, but also stories about beauty, cultural practice and art.”
Fouad Sahyoun was four years old when his family moved from Haifa to what is now Israel. He settled in Canada in 1990.
Parts of an interview with the 82-year-old are presented. He tells how his grandfather’s properties were seized, along with cars, bank accounts and family furniture.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, he said he dreams of one day returning to Haifa as a Palestinian citizen.
“We live under trauma and this trauma will only end when we are allowed to return as decent people, as human people, to our homes and properties.”
Sahyoun hopes the exhibit will educate others to “know our history, know what we’ve been through.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 26, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
