Category Archives: Upcoming Lectures

A “second Captain Dreyfus affair”: Joseph Bernstein’s Halifax experience

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Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), Halifax Public Library, or online via Zoom (link coming soon).

Judith Fingard is a retired Dalhousie University history professor and a Fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society as well as the Royal Society of Canada. For her publications, see her website: judithfingard.com

Abstract: In 1892 Joseph Bernstein arrived in Halifax where he shared with other members of the small Jewish community a typical pattern of commercial employment until 1899 when he became an immigration interpreter at Pier 2, the Deep Water Terminus. His stable work life came to an abrupt halt in 1908 when he was dismissed from the government service. At first he blamed this turn of events on the vindictiveness of five Jewish families involved in a dispute over the suitability of a marriage partner for the third Bernstein daughter. When he delved deeper he decided that antisemitism had determined his fate. Bernstein’s identification with Alfred Dreyfus may have been inspired by cinematic depictions of the injustice endured by that French soldier.

An Architect’s View of Nova Scotian History (November 15th)

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Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), Halifax Public Library, or online via Zoom (link coming soon).

Syd Dumaresq: Syd is a fourth generation Architect with a keen interest in history and is delighted to be practicing Architecture with his son, Dean. Syd and Sandy, his wife and business partner, live in Chester and are the proud parents of five children and nine grandchildren. Syd’s other passions are community, the environment, and sailing. He is Chair of the Friends of Nature Conservation Society, sits on the Chester Village Planning Advisory Committee, and is secretary to the board of the Mahone Islands Conservation Association (MICA).

Abstract: Syd Dumaresq will lead us through a lively discussion of the connections between our colorful history, our wonderful Architectural heritage, and the people and stories behind the scenes with particular emphasis on the Architects.

An Architect’s View of Nova Scotian History (October 18th)

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Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), Saint Mary’s University (Sobey Building room 255) or online via Zoom (link coming soon).

Syd Dumaresq: Syd is a fourth generation Architect with a keen interest in history and is delighted to be practicing Architecture with his son, Dean. Syd and Sandy, his wife and business partner, live in Chester and are the proud parents of five children and nine grandchildren. Syd’s other passions are community, the environment, and sailing. He is Chair of the Friends of Nature Conservation Society, sits on the Chester Village Planning Advisory Committee, and is secretary to the board of the Mahone Islands Conservation Association (MICA).

Abstract: Syd Dumaresq will lead us through a lively discussion of the connections between our colorful history, our wonderful Architectural heritage, and the people and stories behind the scenes with particular emphasis on the Architects.

Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Canada’s Greatest Spy

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Wednesday, September 27th, 2023, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), Saint Mary’s University (Sobey Building room 255) or online via Zoom at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84249054435?pwd=P6wyI7RFnTh1NfaU1Ki4vFhw9trawF.1  

 

Jason Bell: PhD, professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick

Abstract: In public life, Dr. Winthrop Bell of Halifax and Toronto was a Harvard philosophy professor and wealthy businessman. As MI6 secret agent A12, he evaded gunfire and shook off pursuers to break open the emerging Nazi conspiracy in 1919 Berlin. His reports, the first warning of the Nazi plot for WWII, went directly to the man known as C, the mysterious founder of MI6, and to prime ministers. But a powerful fascist politician quietly worked to suppress his alerts. Nevertheless, his intelligence sabotaged the Nazis in ways only now revealed. Bell became a spy once again in the face of WWII. In 1939, he was the first to crack Hitler’s deadliest secret code: the Holocaust. At that time, the führer was a popular politician who said he wanted peace. Could anyone believe Bell’s shocking warning? Fighting an epic intelligence war from Ukraine, Russia and Poland to France, Germany, Canada and Washington, DC, A12 was the real-life 007, waging a single-handed fight against madmen bent on destroying the world. Without Bell’s astounding courage, the Nazis could have won the war.

 

Click here for a bio of Jason Bell