Nina Krieger is vying to retain her Victoria-Swan Lake seat on Oct. 24, in a riding she won for the BC NDP in 2024 after receiving 56% of the vote. She is currently the minister of public safety and solicitor general; prior to that, she served as parliamentary secretary for arts and film.
“The Jewish value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, is a guiding light in my career in public service,” said Krieger, who was executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) before stepping onto the political stage. “I often reflect on the courage and contributions of the Holocaust survivors who founded the VHEC as a legacy for the citizens of British Columbia in the form of an anti-racism teaching museum. The commitment to uplifting all people is an inspiration and something I try to advance in my own work in politics.”
Krieger is a second-generation Holocaust educator who grew up seeing the involvement of her father, Kit Krieger, in the VHEC’s educational programming.
“He often accompanied his cousin, Elsa Dunner, z’l, a Schindler survivor, on her speaking engagements, where she shared her experiences as a Schindler survivor with students,” said Krieger. “Elsa and my father, and my academic studies in history, inspired my own work in Holocaust education.
“My keen interest in history, memory, education and social justice is rooted in my upbringing and has shaped my life and career.”
Her father is an avid genealogist, Krieger said, “proud that he was able to trace his mother’s family back to 1495 in Spain.”
Krieger was executive director of the VHEC in 2023. She said she “worked closely with colleagues across the Jewish community at that moment of great trauma and anxiety, and in the long and persistent shadow of Oct.7. Since then, the VHEC has been called on with increasing frequency to deliver programs following antisemitic incidents, including in the K-12 system, post-secondary institutions, and various professional associations.
“With mounting antisemitism across Canada and the globe, I know that many Jewish people in our own communities feel vulnerable and unsafe,” she said. “We have seen how rhetoric that dehumanizes and demonizes can pave the way to violence. This is unacceptable – nobody in BC should feel unsafe, intimidated or targeted because of who they are.”
According to Krieger, the province has been working, in partnership with other levels of government and with community organizations, to counter these trends.
“The province’s public safety investments include strengthening the BC RCMP Hate Crimes Unit, funding to support municipal police departments and increase police capacity, funding to develop antisemitism training for law enforcement, and grants to help organizations targeted by hate enhance security for places of worship and community spaces,” she said. “This is important work that I have had the opportunity to advance in my role as minister of public safety and solicitor general that I hope to build upon if I have the privilege of being elected again.”
When asked about the distinction between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, Krieger responded that not all criticism of Israel is antisemitic, but some is, particularly when the Jewish state is delegitimized and subject to double standards.
“It is antisemitic to hold Jewish people collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. When criticism of Israel morphs into denying Jews the right to self-determination or to even exist, this is rooted in anti-Jewish hate,” she said. “There must be space for legitimate political debate about the actions of governments, and we must be able to recognize and respond to antisemitism, which does harm to Jewish people and is toxic to democracy.”
On concerns raised by Jewish students and faculty about the situation Jewish students face on campuses, Krieger believes educational institutions have a responsibility to ensure that all students are safe and able to participate fully in their studies and school communities.
“The mandating of Holocaust education in the K-12 system is generally viewed positively, but successful implementation requires that teachers be knowledgeable and well-prepared to teach this subject,” she said. “While post-secondary institutions must protect academic freedom, it must be practised within the confines of civil discourse and codes of conduct, and education should encourage critical thinking, historical understanding, empathy and respectful dialogue.”
Citing antisemitism as “the longest hatred,” Krieger said that learning about its history, characteristics and manifestations is vital for anyone working to build safe, inclusive, respectful workplaces and other settings.
“Training about antisemitism should be meaningfully incorporated into anti-hate initiatives, and I see that there is more work to be done on this front within government, educational institutions and professional associations in BC and in other jurisdictions,” Krieger said.
Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.
