Lawyers often describe how test cases work to define the boundaries in our laws. Politicians who create laws often go “back to the drawing board” when a piece of legislation is poorly written. Loopholes can still exist, so some people aren’t held accountable for their criminal actions. People get away with something that should be illegal but wasn’t. It could be immoral or unethical, but it’s allowed. I’m not a lawyer or a politician, but these instances are in the news.
We all see this happening in our own lives, too. A person speeding down a highway when there’s no cop or speed camera comes to mind. In the Jewish community, this is happening with the huge rise in antisemitism. As Canadians, free speech isn’t supposed to mean hateful graffiti, harassing people at their place of worship, or physically attacking us because we’re Jewish. There are federal, provincial and municipal laws in place to prevent these actions – if the laws are enforced.
Occasionally, I try to make change in civil society: to fix legislation or change a cultural issue. This might mean signing a petition, sending a letter to an editor or politician, or speaking out or writing about an issue. After Oct. 7, 2023, I began to use the “report an error” button more often when reading news online. What’s that? If you’re a close reader of text and read lots, you’re bound to catch mistakes. Sometimes it’s a typo. Occasionally it is factually incorrect information. I used to get a thank you when I submitted the correction, because journalists and mainstream publications like their copy to be “clean,” objective and correct.
After Oct. 7, I found errors in mainstream news because some journalists covering the Hamas attack or the Gaza war didn’t have the background knowledge to do accurate reporting. Initially, my good faith assumption was that they just didn’t know better. Of course, I provided corrections, sometimes with links or background to the data that they’d failed to catch. I felt I was putting my (long ago) undergraduate degree in Near Eastern studies and comparative literature, and my graduate degree in religious studies (Judaism and Islam) to appropriate use. I occasionally saw articles updated or corrected with more factual reporting. Mostly, I got no acknowledgement. No correction took place.
I’ve come to realize that, even with data that proves a statement wrong, some media outlets are content to leave the incorrect information online. That coverage then shapes public opinion. Sometimes, incorrect coverage or the lack of law enforcement means our tax dollars are funding situations that directly endanger us as Jewish Canadians.
I still do error reports. I want to believe that media attempt to be correct and fair, and that law enforcement works to enforce the law. I want to believe our governments work to close loopholes and create legislation that will protect us.
Like me, you’ve probably already filed a police report or told B’nai Brith Canada or CIJA about an incident. I’ve had positive interactions with the police. As time passes, things have gotten increasingly grim. We’re reeling after the shooting attack in Belleville, Ont., on Kol Nidre. At first, I read news reports that acted as though this attack might not be directed at Jews or a synagogue. The efforts of the reporters to question why the police were there in the first place or to act as though this might not be a hate crime seemed almost heroic in their denial and ignorance. Anyone active in the Jewish community knows Jews in Canada now need security to pray.
These questions about what’s legal, ethical, moral, safe or “true” aren’t new. I’ve learned from studying Talmud that the rabbis in the Mishnah (approximately 200 CE) and the Gemara (complete by approximately 500 CE) created test cases and discussions that are remarkably cogent today. The details may shock us or seem weird. We know much more about biology, for instance, than the rabbis did. We also no longer believe that demons might get into water overnight, as an example, but the big picture issues are the same. What is acceptable practice when it comes to how we treat one another, how we conduct ourselves in violent conflict, or when someone steals an animal are still up for debate. We continue to discuss if something is kosher. When a crime is committed, we examine the ramifications.
We’re always trying to figure out what our limits are. Humans do terrible things to one another. Jewish people face a lot of upheaval and that hasn’t changed. I no longer feel as though laws are a protection, even if they exist and are enforced. We hear some politicians speak out against antisemitism, but it’s almost like the journalists who don’t have the background to understand something but cover it anyway. You can say “Canadians don’t do this” when it comes to hate, while, in fact, Canadians are doing hate crimes. Most of the time, nothing is done about it.
In the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Chullin, page 106A, the demon not only exists but he fetches water and talks to people about pouring off the foul water at the top. I’m left these days wondering about our modern demons. Perhaps it’s people spewing hate. Perhaps it’s the politicians whose words are not believable. Maybe it’s those covering the news who are satisfied with reporting that includes misinformation that justifies their opinions. The most alarming possibility is that the Canadian majority, like the Germans before and during the Second World War, is satisfied enough with this version of rule of law. Perhaps they are just willing to say nothing and be demon bystanders, because words and laws, no matter how ineffective, are enough for them.
I wonder where the limits are now when it comes to Jew hate. A shooting at a synagogue on Kol Nidre likely isn’t “enough” if the stabbing of a Jewish woman in an Ottawa grocery store wasn’t. When will it be clear that the demon’s here in the room? Who will decide to step up to exorcize it? When Canadians meet their limit for intolerance and hate, will it be too late?
Joanne Seiff has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com.
