Jews and politics do mix

NISSON GOLDMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

The recent municipal elections across the province drew few Jewish candidates and, consequently, not many Jews were elected to office. Currently there are no Jewish members of Parliament or members of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia – although the province once had a Jewish premier and MP in Dave Barrett, and Jack Austin represents British Columbia in the Senate. Vancouver and Langley are among the few municipalities with Jewish councillors.

The Canadian Jewish Congress is proud of these politicians from our community and respects them for sticking out their necks and putting their names forward. We only wish there were more of them.

Bernie Simpson, who was a B.C. MLA from 1991 to 1996, says being an elected politician allowed him to present the concerns of the Jewish community to the premier and to the government.

"The only down side was that I had a young family, but I consulted them before I decided to go for the nomination and they were in agreement," added Simpson, who represented the New Democratic party. "My wife was in agreement that I should run. But, certainly, up front and centre in my thinking was the importance of a Jew running for a political party and being elected."

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Canada-Israel Committee, believes Jewish politicians get elected not simply because they are Jewish but for other qualities as well.

"Members of the Jewish community do not typically cast a ballot based solely on a candidate's position on the 'Jewish agenda,' " he wrote recently in the Canadian Jewish News. "Yet there is an expectation that when elected – or in the case of the Senate, appointed – Jews will, or at least should, champion the issues central to the community's concerns."

But getting elected to office is not the only way of being involved in public life. There are dozens of ways of becoming active in politics through working with the party of one's choice and, consequently, making a difference to the daily lives of people in this province and country.

Mindi Cofman, currently president of the B.C. Women's Liberal Commission, prefers to work behind the scenes politically, although she once ran for the school board in Richmond.

"My place in politics isn't being an elected official, it's being involved," she said.
Simpson agrees that running for office isn't the only option.

"There are just as effective ways of being involved," he said. "An elected member of Parliament or an elected member of the Legislature doesn't necessarily mean that you have a great deal of power. In fact, it can be argued that backbenchers have very little power. So, the question is, how can you be effective?"

Cofman, who says she's been interested in politics all her life, believes it is important to be involved at the grassroots level, especially when it comes to choosing candidates, and that politically active people should get to know the politicians before they become influential or powerful.

"The easiest way to make a difference is to know the people who can make decisions and know them well enough that you can speak to them," she said. "I can pick up the phone and call a cabinet minister when I'm upset about something and say, 'Hi, this is Mindi.'"

Political campaigns also need volunteers to work the telephone banks, produce pamphlets, organize meetings and assist the candidates. The party "back rooms," where policies are drawn up and political decisions made, often look for people with new ideas.

Simpson said he is on the executive of the federal Liberal party and is available if an MP wants to discuss issues.

"Even if he doesn't want to discuss issues which are germane to the Jewish community, I would take the initiative to meet with him," Simpson said.

Fogel writes that support for Israel is implicit in the responsibilities of Jewish politicians.

"My experience points to a desire on the part of all Jewish parliamentarians – past and present – to stand with Israel and in support of Israel."

Being involved in politics is more than having a grip on the reins of power. Citizens who work within the political system also feel they have a say in the policies that affect health care, education, taxation, justice, human rights and other important areas. Some, like Cofman, feel that serving the community is as strong a part of Jewish values as is tikkun olam, healing the world.

"For me, it's a combination of tikkun olam and 'If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem,' " she said. "Jews used to be really involved, but [now], they're not. I don't know if we're lazy, complacent or assimilated, but we're letting the slack go."

"There are more than 300 ridings in Canada," Simpson said, referring to federal politics. "If members of the Jewish community get involved in each one of those ridings, take out a membership and, if time permits, get involved on the executive, get involved in doing fund-raising for their candidates and make it a point of meeting with their members of Parliament every two months or so to discuss issues, I can assure you that that members of Parliament will not turn you away."

The same could be said for provincial parties and MLAs or city councillors, school trustees and the civic parties. Simpson said he thinks it is important for Jews to get involved in all the political parties.

What about anti-Semitism? Do Jewish politicians make themselves more vulnerable as targets when they declare themselves as candidates? Certainly the issue has been raised recently with speculation that Sen. Joe Lieberman will run for president of the United States in 2004. Simpson is thankful that his political tenure was practically free of anti-Semitism.

"In all my years in politics I only experienced anti-Semitism once," he said. "When I fought for the nomination, it was a very hotly contested fight and there was a person who had been drinking who made very derogatory comments about my Jewishness in front of the media."

Cofman, too, had just one encounter with anti-Semitism: When she ran unsuccessfully for school board, another candidate told his church congregation not to vote for "the Jew."

Although there has been an increase of anti-Jewish incidents in Canada and elsewhere over the past year or two, the risk of igniting anti-Semitism should not deter Jews from seeking public office, Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Committee, told Newhouse News Service.

"There is always some kind of risk out front when you head up," Forman said. "Politics is about who gets what, when and how. If you don't take the risk you're going to be left behind."

Nisson Goldman is chair of Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region.

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