החברה הלאומית של קנדה אייר קנדה תחזור לטוס לישראל רק בחודש הבא. החברה הקנדית שהחלה לטוס לישראל רק בעשרה באפריל הפסיקה את טיסותיה לתל אביב ארבעה ימים לאחר מכן, לאור סגירת נמל התעופה בן גוריון לאור המתקפה האיראנית. באייר קנדה מעדכנים כ הטיסות יחודשו בין קנדה לישראל רק החל מהשישה באוגוסט
אייר קנדה נוסדה בשנת אלף תשע מאות שלושים ושבע ובסיסה בעיר מונטריאול. לחברה נוכחות מסיבית גם בנמלי התעופה הבינלאומיים של טורונטו, ונקובר וקלגרי. לאייר קנדה ארבע חברות-בנות והיא מפעילה כיום כשלוש מאות ושישים מטוסים הטסים לכמאתיים יעדים שונים ברחבי העולם. הכנסות החברה אשתקד עמדו על כעשרים ושתיים מיליארד דולר (קנדי)
צעדת התמיכה הגדולה ביותר בישראל התקיימה בקנדה בחודש יוני האחרון בטורונטו בהשתתפות כחמישים אלף איש. במצעד בטורונטו הניפו המשתתפים דגלי ישראל וקנדה, קראו עם ישראל חי ותחי ישראל ויחי צה”ל, אל מול מפגן תמיכה קטן של מפגינים פרו-פלסטינים. בצעדת התמיכה בישראל השתתפו גם איראנים מתנגדי משטר של האייטולות
בכל שנה, הצעדה למען ישראל היא האירוע היהודי הגדול ביותר בקנדה ואחת מצעדות הסולידריות עם ישראל הגדולות בעולם. חגיגה ידידותית למשפחה זו כוללת צעדה סימבולית בטורונטו ולאחריה פסטיבל לחגוג את התרבות הישראלית והיהודית
אנחנו נרגשים מהתמיכה העצומה בצעדה השנה מהקהילה שלנו ומהחברים והשכנים שלנו ברחבי טורונטו רבתי. לראות השתתפות שיא השנה מדברת רבות על הגאווה, החוסן והנחישות של הקהילה שלנו להראות לעיר שלנו מי אנחנו ועל מה אנחנו עומדים. כך אמור יו”ר אגון הגג של הפדרציות היהודית של קנדה, ג’ף רוזנטל. ואילו נשיא ומנכ”ל של הפדרציות היהודיות של טורונטו, אדם מינסקי, הוסיף כי בזמן שנאה חסרת תקדים המופנית כלי הקהילה היהודית בטורונטו, הצעדה ששברה שיאים שולחת מסר ברור שאנחנו חזקים, מאוחדים וגאים. האירוע היום הוא הפגנה חזקה לכך שיש רבים שתומכים בנו, בעד הדמוקרטיה, החברות והזכות של הישראלים ושל הקהילה היהודית לחיות בשלום ובביטחון, הוסיף עוד מינסקי
כאירוע גיוס כספים למטרות צדקה, כל התרומות לצעדה תומכות בשירותים חברתיים ומאמצים הומניטריים בישראל המסייעים לתושבי ישראל הפגיעים ביותר. השנה הכספים שנתרמו יעזרו לישראלים להתאושש מהטראומה הגדולה של השבע באוקטובר, כולל תמיכה בתוכניות לעזור לקורבנות הטרור ולאה הנאבקים בבעיות נפשיות
לאחר הצעדה, המשתתפים התכנסו בקמפוס שרמן של פסטיבל הסולידריות שכלל פעילויות ידידותיות לילדים, אוכל והופעות. האירוע כלל גם הזדמנויות לשלוח מסרים של תקווה לישראל וכיבוד קורנות השבעה באוקטובר. כן נבנתה חומת התקווה שהיא מיצג הזיכרון של פסטיבל נובה שגבה קורבנות רבים
לאור עלייה באנטישמיות בטורונטו, המשטרה הייתה נוכחת בצעדה במספרים חסרי תקדים. בקהילה היהודית בטורונטו מעריכים מאוד את המאמצים הבלתי הנאלים של משטרת טורונטו להבטיח חוויה בטוחה בצעדה
מנכ”לית הפדרציות היהודיות של קנדה בישראל, שרה מלי, אמרה שיש משהו מיוחד במינו בצעדת למען ישראל של פדרציית טורונטו השנה, מעבר להשתתפות המרשימה של חברי קהילה, תומכים ונבחרי ציבור צעדו כדי לחגוג ולתמוך בישראל. הסיבה לכך שזה כל כך יוצא דופן היא שמאז השבעה באוקטובר, הקהילה היהודית הקנדית נתונה לאנטישמיות גוברת ומתפשטת בקמפוסים ובמרחבים הקהילתיים היהודיים, ובו בזמן גייסה את סכום הכסף המשמעותי ביותר לנפש מכל הקהילות בעולם. לכן, הצעדה השנה, לא רק שהיא הגדולה ביותר, היא מייצגת את המחויבות של הקהילה היהודית בטורונטו לישראל כנגד כל הסיכויים ולכן יש לה חשיבות סמלית שאין כדוגמתה
An X post about an antisemitic takeover of the Simon Fraser University library downtown, named after Jewish philanthropists Samuel and Frances Belzberg. Khalida Jarrar is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which Canada listed as a terror entity in 2003. (screenshot)
More than 250 members of the Jewish community gathered at Congregation Beth Israel last week to learn more about antisemitism occurring on BC campuses. The discussion was led by a panel of Jewish students representing the University of BritishColumbia, the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, as well as educators and a spokesperson from Hillel BC. Panelists spoke about how pro-Palestinian activists have created an environment that has made Jewish students and educators feel unsafe, and that their concerns are, by and large, not being taken seriously by university administrators.
“Hillel has shifted from being a place where students explore their identity to being an emergency room for antisemitic incidents,” said Ohad Gavrieli, executive director of Hillel BC. “What we’re encountering is unprecedented, and our main role has been to protect and defend Jewish identity.”
Hillel is focused on safety, education, programming and advocacy, said Gavrieli. It is assisting students as they try to file complaints about antisemitism, while continuing with events like Shabbat dinners and bagel lunches, critical components that allow for the continuity of Jewish life during this crisis.
Gavrieli said universities’ approaches to antisemitism have been very ineffective.
“While they understand we’re hurting as a community, they’re politicians and they care about their institutional reputation. They want to please both sides,” he argued. “So, when we talk with them about the encampments, they tell us to be patient, that they’re working on it and will come up with a solution.”
Member of the Legislative Assembly Selina Robinson described a similar “deafness and silence” when she spoke about antisemitism with her political colleagues.
“I heard stories from Langara students who were afraid to leave the bathroom because there was marching in the hallways. I got calls from students whose instructors were telling them they needed to participate in a march, and from educators whose administrators were involved in BDS [boycott, sanction and divestment] activity,” she recalled. “I felt I needed to say something, so I said lots – to the attorney general, the solicitor general, the chief of staff. And I got silence, or responses like, ‘we’re looking into it’ – but nothing happened.”
For Aria Levitt, a Jewish student leader entering her second year at UVic, the campus environment is daunting.
“When an encampment was established in the Quad at UVic, the university issued a statement that overnight camping there was not allowed. But the encampment is still there, and they’re not doing anything about it, which is a statement in itself,” said Levitt. “I heard the marches, protests and chants and it was very scary. I don’t feel proud to weara UVic sweater,” she added.
At Simon Fraser University, Rachel Altman, an associate professor, said the Faculty for Palestine group has been relentless about holding anti-Israel events, and that those events even count towards the educators’ professional credit. “I attended one of their events and I was shaking by the end of it, it was so deeply unsettling,” she confessed.
“The hatred in the room was palpable,” said Altman. “They were clearly talking about me and my colleagues, misrepresenting my responses and not giving me a chance to defend myself. I felt hated by colleagues who have never spoken to me face-to-face. One person made a claim that Israel is stealing organs. This group is large and it’s having an impact on the general climate at SFU.”
Altman is trying to get her faculty association to adopt a neutrality policy and to develop institutional neutrality. Dr. Estie Ford, a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, is working with her colleagues to establish the Jewish Academic Alliance of BC, with the goal of being a face for Jewish faculty who are not anti-Zionist, across the province. “This is a new time when people are coming together and there’s so much amazing work being done,” Ford said.
Gavrieli fields calls from Jewish parents wondering how safe BC campuses are for their children. He tells students to continue to hold their heads high, to not be afraid and to tackle the issues head-on.
“Antisemitism right now is being driven from campus and it’s rooted on campus,” he said. “Any parent with a child entering university should encourage them to engage in Jewish life on campus, to make it more vibrant and to deal with this issue fearlessly, because this is the time to fight.”
Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer and editor, lives in Richmond.
אפשר להבין את החרדה שדבורה ליונס חשה מצפייה בחדשות מאז שמונתה לשליחה המיוחדת של קנדה על ידי ג’סטין טרודו, להנצחת זכר השואה ולמאבק באנטישמיות בסתיו האחרון. העלייה המדאיגה בשנאת יהודים בקנדה נדונה בתקשורת באופן קבוע
ברור מהנתונים שאנחנו רואים, בעיקר מאלה המגיעים ממשטרת קנדה, שיש עלייה אדירה באנטישמית במונחים של פשעי שנאה, אומרת ליונס. וזה בלי להזכיר את התקריות האיומות אבל חוקיות נגד יהודים שאנחנו שומעים עליהן לעיתים קרובות. לדעתה של ליונס רמת האנטישמיות בקנדה נמצאת עכשיו בשיא של כל הזמנים וזה חסר תקדים
ארגון בני ברית קנדה פרסם לאחרונה את הדוח השנתי שלו על תקריות אנטישמיות במדינה. לפי הדוח הארגון חלה עלייה דרמטית מאז טבח השבעה באוקטובר. על פי המקרים שדווחו לבני ברית גם באמצעות עבודה עם המשטרה, אשתקד נרשמו קרוב לששת אלפים מעשי אלימות, הטרדה וונדליזם כלפי יהודים. זאת יותר מפי שניים מאשר שנה קודם לכן
בין פשעי השנאה המוזכרים נמנים הצתת מעדנייה בטורונטו, ירי לעבר בית ספר יהודי במונטריאול, ונדליזם בחנות ספרים בטורונטו של רשת אינדיגו שמייסדה הוא יהודי, פגיעה בבתי כנסת ובשכונות ועסקים יהודיים שונים. וכן השחתה של בתים פרטיים בסמלים ובביטויים אנטישמיים
לאחרונה סיסמאות משלהבות במאהלי מחאה שהוקמו באוניברסיטאות ובייחוד בעצרות אנטי־ישראליות בוונקובר ובאוטווה הוסיפו שמן למדורה. ליונס רוצה שחברי הקהילה היהודית ידעו שהיא רואה ושומעת את החששות שלהם לנוכח ההסלמה ברטוריקה האנטישמית ובוונדליזם. ליונס מוסיפה שהיא רואה את הכאב שלהם כשבהפגנות מובילי המחאה קוראים יחי השבעה באוקטובר והקהל מריע
ליונס רואה את הייסורים שחשים יהודים קנדים כשאנשים מתייחסים בביטול או ממעיטים בעובדה שמארגני העצרות מובילים את הקריאות האלה ואחרות, כמו תחזרו לאירופה ולהפוך את האינתיפאדה לגלובלית. על רקע המציאות הזאת היא מבינה שמתנהלות שיחות בבתים ובמשרדים על עתיד הקהילה היהודית בקנדה. זה לא קביל ולא הוגן. קנדה התמודדה כבר עם עלייה בשנאת יהודים לפני הזינוק הנוכחי. יש לשקול בכלל את העלייה העצומה באנטישמיות העולמית לאור זוועות השבעה באוקטובר. עוד הרבה לפני מלחמת ישראל והחמאס הייתה רמה גבוהה של אנטישמיות בקנדה. היא התחילה לעלות בצורה די קבועה לפני כשש שנים ועוד יותר במהלך מגפת הקורונה. היא הייתה במגמת עלייה, שהפכה לנסיקה דרמטית אחרי השבעה באוקטובר. עם התמשכות המלחמה בעזה ועד שיושג פתרון, חושבת ליונס שהסביבה שלנו תמשיך להיות סוערת
זה עלול להיות התרחיש הטוב יותר אם לא יהיה שינוי בתגובת המנהיגים. ליונס מאמינה שאנחנו באמת נתונים במשבר. והיא חוששת שלא מספיק אנשים מבינים את זה, או שאם הם מבינים זאת, הם לא יודעים מה הם יכולים לעשות לגבי זה
ליונס מקווה שהגענו לשיא העגום של האנטישמיות, ושהמצב לא יחמיר עוד יותר, אבל היאי לא יודעת. זה תלוי בעיקר במידה שסה המנהיגים השונים יפעלו בהתאם לאחריות שניצבת לפניהם
ליונס, שאינה יהודייה מכירה בכך שאין פתרון קל, ואומרת שהמצב הנוכחי לא יכול להיפתר ברמת הממשלה בלבד, וגם לא על ידי לשכה של שליח בודד. תחת זאת, לדבריה, האנטישמיות דורשת את טיפולה של ההנהגה בכל הרמות, לכן לשכתה עובדת עם ראשי ערים ברחבי קנדה כדי לעודד אותם לאחד את הקהילות שלהם סביב המטרה
חצי שנה לאחר שניכנסה לתפקידה ליונס מבינה כעת טוב יותר מה צריך לעשות לאחר שדיברה עם איסנפור אנשים על המצב וקראה רבות על הנושא
The doors and the flooring outside the entrance of Congregation Schara Tzedeck were damaged when an arsonist set fire to them the night of May 30. (photo from B’nai Brith Canada)
Around 9:30 p.m., after evening prayers on Thursday, May 30, a group of people were shmoozing on 19th Avenue, outside Schara Tzedeck synagogue. A passerby alerted them that there was a fire at the main Oak Street entrance to the shul.
The group ran around the corner to the scene and a man used his jacket to put out the fire.
The arson attack was brazen – it was barely past sundown on a busy Vancouver artery. A resident across the street videotaped the scene from their apartment window.
The synagogue’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, was immediately alerted by phone but his reaction was disbelief. The congregant who called him is an Israeli whose first language is not English and the rabbi wondered – perhaps hoped – that there was a miscommunication.
On Rosenblatt’s arrival, two fire trucks were on the scene and the rabbi let firefighters and police into the building, which was pervaded by the smell of the accelerant used to light the fire. The doors and the flooring outside the entrance were damaged, but the fuel had already begun burning out by the time the flames were doused.
Rosenblatt said he wasn’t focused on his emotions in the immediate aftermath.
“Honestly, I went very quickly into crisis management mode,” he told the Independent. “I wasn’t really processing any kind of deep emotions or letting the whole thing sink in.”
He dealt with police, notified the synagogue’s leadership and prepared for what he knew would be a media frenzy beginning the following day.
Support has been encouraging. Civic leaders, fellow clergy, multicultural representatives, members of the Jewish community and strangers have brought or sent well wishes and made donations.
Although Rosenblatt was in disbelief initially, he acknowledged that he and others have been warning about precisely this sort of escalation for months, including in a private meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this year.
No arrests have been made but Rosenblatt said that the perpetrator is “theoretically identifiable” from photographic evidence. Police have asked Rosenblatt and others with firsthand knowledge not to share any additional details as they do not want any potential for affecting witness testimonies.
While the arson attack is deeply alarming, Rosenblatt believes it is a manifestation of a broader “mainstreaming” of antisemitism – a phenomenon he sees worryingly exhibited in last week’s decision by the BC Teachers’ Federation to reject the creation of a provincial specialist association, or PSA, addressing antisemitism and Holocaust education.
“When people ask me what I’m concerned about, I’m honestly more concerned with what’s happening in the public schools,” said the rabbi. “Not that someone being brazen enough to light the synagogue on fire isn’t a horrible thing. It’s reflective of a willingness to go to violence. But the person who did that, at least, was ashamed enough to obscure his identity.”
Those who voted against an association for Holocaust and antisemitism education not only did so publicly but seem to view their actions as a form of righteousness, he said.
“Those people are proud and giving themselves a pat on the back,” he said. “That, to me, is the one which is going to cause more lasting harm.”
Other incidents, in which Jewish artists have been removed from exhibitions and Jewish-themed plays have been canceled, send a dangerous message to young Jewish artists and performers that their identity, and their associations with Israel, could have negative consequences, said the rabbi.
Meanwhile, he is hearing from colleagues across the country about habitual harassment and vandalism, from broken windows to dead animals thrown on synagogue property.
“People are just sort of inching over the lines,” he said.
Rosenblatt said it is vital that all incidents be reported to authorities. The BC government has a Provincial Racist Incident Helpline at 1-833-457-5463. The website of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver has information on reporting hate crimes. B’nai Brith Canada has an app and other resources for reporting hate incidents on their website. Individuals or institutions requiring legal advice due to a suspected antisemitic incident can access pro bono legal consultation through a new helpline, 778-800-8917 or [email protected].
The arson took place less than a week before Mosaic, Schara Tzedeck’s major annual gala celebration. It was referenced at the event, but Rosenblatt said it did not cloud the celebration.
“It has not changed who we are or what we do and how we think about Schara Tzedeck,” he said. “You can’t let antisemites define you.”
The rescue of four Israeli hostages from Gaza last week and their reunions with their loved ones is a bright spot amid much dismal news – though there remain 120 hostages whose reunions with their families we dream of and hope will happen soon.
This rescue has been a source of tempered joy for Israelis and others. In a time of tragedy and despair, these moments are worth appreciating. Amid the relief, we mourn the life of the Israel Defence Forces officer who died from wounds received during the operation and we mourn the lives of the many innocent Gazans lost. Holding this tension is weighing mightily on many of us, knowing that placing hostages among civilians is a deliberate and overwhelmingly cruel strategy of Hamas.
Closer to home, we are not without bleak news, but neither are we bereft of hopefulness.
The arson attack on Schara Tzedeck Synagogue two weeks ago is deeply troubling and scary. The outpouring of support and empathy from so many is a silver lining. Clergy, elected officials, multicultural community leaders and ordinary folks have expressed solidarity with Schara Tzedeck and the broader Jewish community.
A few less monumental but hopeful items crossed our desks recently.
The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, which had earlier canceled the participation of artist Miriam Libicki, issued an apology for their actions – and announced that “the vast majority” of individuals who had perpetrated Libicki’s banning had resigned from the organization’s board.
Suffice to say, this is not the foremost news story this year. But it is surprisingly uplifting when a glimmer of common sense emerges where intolerance had once prevailed.
Libicki had been canceled ostensibly because she had served, once upon a time, in the Israeli army. IDF service was also the excuse used when inspirational speaker Leah Goldstein, a BC resident, was canned from an International Women’s Day event in Ontario in March.
Assertions that an artist (or performer or whoever) is being excluded because they served in a military that we see every day in the news engaged in a tragic conflict may seem legitimate, or at least not quite as blatant as, say, posting a sign that reads “No Jews allowed.” Notably, though, no such litmus test, to our knowledge, has ever been applied to any artist (or whoever) in Canada based on their service in any other national armed forces – and, given the diversity of our country, we can be pretty much assured that we have citizens who have served in many of the world’s most tyrannical and nasty, even genocidal, militaries.
Other excuses to ban Jews or pull Jewish- or Israel-related work from events, exhibits, performances, etc., have also included enough plausible deniability to steer just clear of indisputable antisemitism.
Goldstein’s cousin, local photographer Dina Goldstein (it’s sadly becoming a family affair), was recently removed from a group exhibition. In this instance, the gallery claimed financial considerations were the deciding factor.
Then there are cases where venues pull an event or performer based on security concerns, as the Belfry Theatre in Victoria did with their scheduled performance of the play The Runner. They had reason to fear violence – the theatre was vandalized amid the controversy. But cancelations based on security concerns, as valid as they may seem, give an effective veto to those who are potentially violent.
In the shadow of the Belfry decision, The Runner was pulled from the PuSh Festival in Vancouver, the stated reason being that another artist threatened to pull their work from the event if the play was mounted.
In addition to cancelations, there is plenty to raise alarm bells about anti-Israel bias in the public education system, as well, as we are forced to outline in discouraging detail elsewhere in this issue, with the BC Teachers’ Federation making some controversial decisions. But, again, here some reason prevails, though not from the BCTF.
The Burnaby school district took what it called “immediate action” when it became known that elementary students had been given an exam question asking them to make a case for and against the existence of the state of Israel. We could fill volumes with outrage about the unmitigated nerve of a teacher thinking this was a legitimate subject for grade sixers (if it was on the exam, one can only imagine what the same educator said in the classroom) but let’s take some solace that there were reasonable people in a position of authority to respond when this became public.
In further good news in the education realm, on June 1, the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver Senate soundly rejected (by a vote of 49 to 16) a motion urging the university to cut ties with institutions in Israel.
In challenging times, it is even more necessary to acknowledge and celebrate small victories and acts of decency. It is an act of individual and communal resistance to remain hopeful and steadfast in pursuit of peace and justice.
“An important part of our work as teachers is to create safety for our students within our classrooms and schools. Globally and locally, we are hearing how increasing rhetoric and hate speech in communities are threatening safety and belonging. With this in mind, a motion was brought forward, and passed by delegates at the BCTF annual general meeting in March,” writes BC Teachers’ Federation president Clint Johnston in the May/June 2024 issue of Teacher magazine.
He goes on to share the motion, which was:
“That the Federation:
“1. continuously lobby the Ministry of Education and Child Care to include, where applicable, the following as part of the Grades 6-12 Socials and History curricula until it gets added to the elaborations:
“a. The Nakba
“b. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War
“c. Military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
“2. have the Federation president acknowledge through the next Teacher magazine that these events are essential to understanding the history of Palestine and Israel in the President’s Message.”
In fulfilling his part of the motion, Johnston writes in Teacher about classrooms being “where students develop or question their understandings of world events. Starting these conversations and teaching complicated histories is a difficult task. Teachers need support to approach the historical context of present-day conflicts in their classrooms. It’s important that the Ministry of Education and Child Care, school districts and community partners come together with teachers to create the supports and resources we need to teach challenging world events.”
At press time, none of the President’s Message that deals with the AGM motion could be found on the Teacher website. There, only the first half of the message was posted – in which Johnston talks about the edition’s feature on “societal attitudes toward disability justice and excellence,” and inclusion in schools.
The BCTF did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls from the Jewish Independent for comment on the motion, which was passed at the BCTF’s AGM March 16-19 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. While the organization’s communications person briefly added the JI to the BCTF’s media list, the paper apparently was removed from that list after inquiring if the receipt of a press release on an unrelated topic meant that answers to the JI’s questions about the AGM would be answered. There was no response, nor has the JI received any further BCTF press releases.
The Jewish Independent found out about the BCTF motion in early April not from the BCTF, but from two other sources: a group called Parents for Palestine, claiming the vote a victory for their own campaign to have the Nakba (Catastrophe) – the term used by many Palestinians and others to describe the creation of the state of Israel and the 1948 war – added to the BC curriculum, and from a Jewish parent, asking people to “Reject political propaganda in schools’ curriculum.”
Parents for Palestine and the groups Teachers 4 Palestine BC, Independent Jewish Voices (Vancouver, Victoria and University of British Columbia), Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver, BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Territories, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (which in 2021 was designated a terror group by Israel for its ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), Labour for Palestine Vancouver & Victoria, Palestinian Youth Movement Vancouver, and Freedom from War Coalition have started a petition on the Action Network called “Demand That the Nakba Be Added to the BC Curriculum.” Those groups (minus BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Territories) also have online an open letter to Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh, where organizations and individuals can add their name.
“As a Jewish parent whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, I believe my children need an education that equips them with the knowledge and tools to build a future where genocide is no longer possible,” says parent Tamara Herman, a member of Independent Jewish Voices, in the Parents for Palestine press release. “Our kids will be confronted with the future impacts of the genocide that Israel is currently committing in Gaza. Receiving a partial history of the creation of Israel that includes the Holocaust but erases the Nakba robs them of the knowledge and tools they need now and in the future.”
A page from the BC Teachers’ Federation Israel-Palestine classroom resource, called The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Searching for a Just Peace.
Vancouver parent Masha Kleiner’s petition on change.org reads, in part, “The role of a teacher in a child’s life is paramount and should not be used to advance any political agenda. By introducing such a change to the curriculum, it has the potential to increase targeted hatred of specific children thus creating an unsafe learning environment.”
In the press release she sent to the Independent, Kleiner, who was born in the Soviet Union, writes, “It is not a coincidence that I chose to raise my children in Canada. I wanted my children to grow, internalize and embrace the fundamental Canadian values of safety, diversity, tolerance and freedom. These values are core to Canadian society and they stem from all orders of life, first and foremost, education.
“This is why, as a parent, I couldn’t remain silent when I encountered the motion to add teaching of ‘Nakba and occupation’ to the school curriculum in BC. This motion goes against everything that Canada stands for. This motion is not only harmful on many different levels, but it also exposes dangerous manifestations in the existing curriculum.”
Kleiner is concerned that the BCTF motion and “the polarizing and isolating political agenda it brings into classrooms will create an unsafe and even hostile environment. This motion is not educating students about specific historical events and perspectives; it introduces a one-sided, politically motivated, biased narrative that is being used to target and marginalize particular students or groups.
“The history and the conflict in the Middle East is one of the most complex and multifaceted topics in the history of modern conflicts,” she continues. “Its roots are grounded in millennia of history as well as religious and cultural bedrocks of numerous societies. It is deeply intertwined with recent and modern political and military powers and other conflicts. What’s more, it is a highly sensitive, controversial and even disruptive topic that affects people’s lives all over the world.”
The original motion presented at the BCTF AGM had only two points:
“That the Federation:
“1. acknowledge that the Nakba and the Israel war of independence are significant historical events that are essential to understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“2. make a recommendation to the Ministry of Education and Child Care to include the Nakba and the Israel war of independence as part of the social studies and history curricula.”
The amendments were added on the day of the vote, which took place March 18. A 56-44 majority passed the amended motion, according to a teacher who was at the AGM.
This teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, questioned the value of the motion, noting that teachers could already include the subject in lessons. They said that, while the Nakba could be added to the list of sample topics in the curriculum, that still wouldn’t make the teaching of it mandatory.
There is a resource available for teachers already, which was developed by the BCTF in 2016. Called The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Searching for a Just Peace, several sections are objectively biased, notably regarding the history of the region. Just two examples: Jews’ right to the land isn’t acknowledged, only that Palestinians lost their homeland; and the fact that hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to flee Arab countries isn’t mentioned, only that “700,000 Palestinians were driven or fled from their homes and became refugees and many villages were destroyed.”
The teacher thought that the AGM motion was made, in part, as a reaction to the provincial government having made Holocaust education a mandatory part of the curriculum. At this point, the province has no plans to follow suit with the Nakba.
“I’m leaving it to the teachers,” Singh told CBC in a May 2 interview. “I feel that they are fully equipped and they have the professional judgment on how to assess their student population and how to impart these lessons. This is what my expectation is, that every child is feeling safe in their schools.”
Miriam Libicki in 2017, when she was writer-in-residence at the Vancouver Public Library. (photo by Jeff Vinnick/VPL)
The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival (VanCAF) issued a public apology to Miriam Libicki on June 2, eight days after posting online that it was permanently banning the American-Israeli graphic novelist and artist because she had once served in the Israel Defence Forces.
Additionally, the apology stated, the vast majority of the board of directors who had written the May 25 “accountability statement” – which banned Libicki from the festival – have resigned. Those who have remained, the unnamed writers of the apology affirmed, are only there to help assist in the transition to a new board.
In a June 4 social media post responding to VanCAF’s about-face, Libicki, who resides in Vancouver, wrote, “I applaud this. I applaud the entire board responsible for the first accountability statement (which contained no accountability) resigning.”
She added, “This is a really positive and necessary first step. I look forward to a restorative justice process with the new board when there is one, and to see the steps they make to ensure they can act ethically when (and it is a matter of when) a harassment brigade dogpiles again.”
VanCAF’s original statement, which did not mention Libicki by name – nor was it signed by anyone on its board – lamented “the oversight and ignorance to allow this exhibitor in the festival, not only this year but in 2022 as well.”
Libicki’s appearance at the festival, the former board said, “fundamentally falls in absolute disregard to all of our exhibiting artist’s (sic), attendees and staff, especially those who are directly affected by the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Indigenous community members alike. Upon examining these concerns and conducts, this exhibitor will not be permitted to return to the festival.”
The decision to ban Libicki received widespread attention in national and international Jewish and other media. Reports were published by the Canadian Jewish News, the Times of Israel, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Jewish News Syndicate, as well as the popular comics website, The Beat. According to an article on Vancouver arts and culture website Stir, VanCAF was contacted by a lawyer representing Libicki.
On May 29, VanCAF’s so-called accountability statement was removed from its website and social media accounts.
VanCAF’s June 2 apology said the organization wished to “express deep and sincere apologies for the impact our previous statement has caused. First and foremost, to the individual directly affected by our first post.
“The decision was ultimately wrong-headed and moved too quickly and without adequate consultation. We also wish to apologize to the wider impacted community. VanCAF has lost and continues to lose the trust of many we have sought to serve.
“Our statement was one that only represented the VanCAF board at the time of writing and had no relationship to the Roundhouse [the festival’s venue], any of our sponsors, or any former staff. It was solely our own statement.”
The apology finished by announcing that the organization was about to change and that it would strive to prioritize the safety of all attendees, volunteers and exhibitors. By the end of summer, it hoped to have a new team in charge of the festival.
Libicki’s work explores her Jewish identity and the clash of cultures through her own experiences. Her autobiographical comic series, jobnik!, which she self-published in 2008, looks at her service in the Israeli army during the Second Intifada.
Toward a Hot Jew, published by Fantagraphics in 2016, is a series of graphic essays written over about 10 years, from her time in the IDF to her position as an art professor, and is a mix of autobiography, cultural commentary and analysis. In 2017, she was writer-in-residence at the Vancouver Public Library – it was the first time the library had chosen a graphic novelist for the position. She was a 2020 nominee for best short story in the Eisner Awards, considered by many to be the most prestigious honour in the comics industry, for her graphic essay, “Who Gets Called an ‘Unfit’ Mother?” Libicki was one of three graphic novelists selected to tell the stories of four Holocaust survivors in the 2022 book But I Live.
Among Miriam Libicki’s award-nominated and -winning publications are jobnik! and Toward a Hot Jew.
“I am a Jewish artist who makes nonfiction and autobiographical comics,” Libicki told the Canadian Jewish News last month after the VanCAF ban was announced. “I am, and I have consistently, publicly, been pro-peace. I am in favour of a Palestinian state via negotiations. Because of the vulnerable populations I work with, I prefer not to discuss my specific political views in public. I believe all policing of artists’ personal identities and nationalities is wrong.”
Libicki exhibited at VanCAF every year from 2012 until 2022. In 2022, members of the public notified festival volunteers, complaining that VanCAF had included, according to Stir, a Zionist who was showing Zionist propaganda.
Stir reported that Libicki had missed the initial call for applications in 2023 and was not given a table by organizers because they wanted to look into the 2022 incident. This year, VanCAF at first denied Libicki a table, but later said she could be included if she only exhibited But I Live.
Libicki told Stir that she wants to use the recent publicity to garner funds for peace activists in Israel and Palestine. She is selling a watercolour series of seahorses, the proceeds of which will go entirely to the Mothers Call, which Stir describes as “a grassroots collaboration between Women of the Sun in Palestine and Women Wage Peace in Israel.”
In a June 2 social media post, Libicki expressed appreciation for all the messages of support she has received recently and offered a positive outlook.
“I believe we can move towards a peaceful and just (as just as possible) resolution to that public incident,” she wrote.
Sam Margolishas written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.
Lawyer Erin Brandt founded the Antisemitism Legal Helpline to help connect people experiencing antisemitism with volunteer lawyers who could provide them with free, confidential legal advice. (photo from Erin Brandt)
After Oct. 7, Erin Brandt was angry. She decided to put that rage to constructive use. “I wanted to direct my anger towards something useful and the thing that I have that is useful is legal skills,” said Brandt, an employment lawyer and cofounder of PortaLaw. “My idea was to create a helpline that would help connect people experiencing antisemitism with volunteer lawyerswho could provide them with free, confidential legal advice.”
The Antisemitism Legal Helpline is officially housed under the auspices of Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia, a free lawyer referral agency serving people and nonprofit organizations across the province, and is supported by the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.
“It’s been described as building the airplane as it’s taking off from the ground,” Brandt said of the helpline. Getting it up and running as soon as possible was key.
The Antisemitism Legal Helpline helps resolve the ad hoc responses that had been happening since Oct. 7, when many Jewish organizations began receiving more inquiries from members of the public who were facing antisemitism. The helpline is a single designated referral destination to help those who need legal advice find a lawyer with appropriate cultural sensitivity.
The steering committee of three includes Brandt, Cindy Switzer, an immigration lawyer, and Jessica Forman who, like Brandt, is an employment lawyer. About 20 other lawyers have formally signed onto the project, but the network is much wider, Brandt said, since any lawyer might engage with another professional they know if they think their expertise is particularly relevant for a file.
Calls so far have involved employment issues, such as inappropriate comments during workplace training events, and a lot of campus incidents affecting students, staff and professors.
“There’s been a few things relating to social media, people who are receiving harassment for things that they posted online,” said Brandt. There have also been incidents involving strata law, including at least one incident involving a mezuzah.
The volunteer lawyers provide roughly half an hour of initial summary advice. Some incidents can be resolved in that period, Brandt said. If the caller seeks to pursue matters further, the lawyer may take on the case pro bono or for a fee, or the client may be referred to another professional.
Some lawyers are on the lookout for a test case, an incident that could go to court and set a precedent – both legally and socially – that lets the public know antisemitism will not be tolerated. However, most of the people looking for advice, Brandt said, are understandably not eager to take a leading role as plaintiff.
There is no standard response in these cases. Lawyers and callers may decide to pursue things further or they may not.
“Sometimes, something is the best thing to do and, sometimes, nothing is the best thing to do,” said Brandt. The purpose of the helpline is to allow individuals to get professional advice on what their options and possible best responses might be.
“We want people in British Columbia to know that we exist and that they should call us for help,” Brandt said. “If somebody is a lawyer and is looking for ways to give back and wants to volunteer, then they can sign up as a volunteer.”
The helpline can be reached at 778-800-8917 or [email protected] and response time is one to two days.
The inaugural board of the Jewish Medical Association of British Columbia. (photo from JMABC)
The newly incorporated Jewish Medical Association of British Columbia held a meeting at Schara Tzedeck Synagogue on May 29, with more than 70 physicians and allied healthcare professionals in attendance.
Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, spiritual leader of Congregation Schara Tzedeck, gave a lecture called How to Speak about Israel, detailing facts about the origins of the ancient Hebrews living in the biblical land, which is now Israel. Special guests were Dr. Gregg Gardner, a professor in the University of British Columbia’s department of Near Middle Eastern and religious studies, and Dr. Judith Paltin, a professor in UBC’s department of English language and literature – they have recently formed the Jewish Academic Alliance of British Columbia.
Prior to Rosenblatt speaking, the group engaged in table discussions on strategic planning and the priorities of the association. Many attendees were meeting for the first time in person. Clinical psychologist Dr. Rotem Regev commented, “It was such fantastic event. I left feeling elated and uplifted. Such a relief to be in a room with so many esteemed and like-minded individuals.”
The event was held just 24 hours prior to an arson attack on the synagogue. The Jewish Medical Association promptly put out a news statement and pleaded for UBC, health authorities and other institutions to take action to combat antisemitism and ensure safety for all.
Dr. Marla Gordon, physician in Vancouver, initially started a group for Jewish physicians as a support network post-Oct. 7. The group grew and, in January, became an incorporated organization under the co-leadership of Gordon and Dr. Larry Barzelai. The association has bylaws, an appointed inaugural board and almost 200 members. It has expanded to include all allied health workers and professionals who identify as Zionists, including non-Jewish allies. In addition to hosting social, educational and wellness events, the JMA is combating the rise of antisemitism on campuses and in healthcare spaces. The association is part of a larger network of recently formed medical associations across Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and the Maritimes. To join the JMA, email [email protected].
– Courtesy Jewish Medical Association of British Columbia
Richard Heideman, left, and Warren Kinsella participated in a B’nai Brith Canada virtual fireside chat on May 30. (photo from B’nai Brith Canada)
The League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada hosted a virtual fireside chat with Canadian lawyer and author Warren Kinsella and American attorney Richard Heideman on May 30. The conversation largely focused on growing antisemitism and political passivity in North America in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Kinsella began by talking about his experiences over the past three decades, writing about neo-Nazism and antisemitism and how they never fully disappear, no matter what region of Canada one observes. However, he said, the present state of anti-Jewish feeling in the country is the worst he has witnessed.
“I never dreamed in my worst nightmare that we would actually have in a single week two schools in separate provinces shot at because they teach Jews. I never thought I would see the attacks on Jewish businesses, individuals and community centres,” he said.
Kinsella castigated elected representatives in Canada for their inaction and lack of leadership in the face of hate speech directed at Jews and the rising numbers of attacks, citing an abundance of laws to handle the problem effectively.
In the international arena, Heideman added, the silence from prime ministers, presidents and ambassadors after the Hamas attacks last fall has been “deafening.” No Western democracy, he said, would tolerate the atrocities committed during the Oct. 7 attacks on their own soil.
“The United Nations and its world courts must be held accountable for singling out Israel for multiple decades and playing into the biased hands of countries like Iran, which only months ago directed hundreds of drones and rockets at the sovereign state of Israel,” said Heideman.
Both men praised Israel for its commitment to human rights and agreed that the present demonization of the strongest democracy in the Middle East, and the concurrent calls for economic and academic boycotts, must come to an end.
Heideman argued that the lessons of recent history, namely the banning of Jews from all facets of everyday life in Nazi Germany in the 1930s – which was followed by the Holocaust – have not been learned. What’s more, he said, there is presently a blame-the-victim mentality at the international diplomatic level which faults Israel for the present situation.
On the bright side, Kinsella noted that polling after Oct. 7 would suggest that the vast majority of North Americans are on Israel’s side and believe it has a right to defend itself. They also welcome Jewish people into their communities. The problem, according to Kinsella, is with the younger segment of the population, the group which has taken to the streets, created encampments, and said and done terrible things to Jews.
“Eighteen-to-40-year-olds in Canada, the United States and Europe are presently a lost generation. You will find no constituency or demographic that believes more in Holocaust denial, that thinks Hamas was right and that Israel should be wiped off the map,” Kinsella said.
“When we have millions of young people who have embraced hatred, division and terrorism, we have a big, big problem,” he continued. “I think we are looking at something that is going to take a decade or more to fix because it’s taken us more than a decade to get us to this dark place.”
To Kinsella, the internet – the primary medium through which people, particularly the young, obtain information – is largely at fault. Despite improving the world in many respects, he said, the World Wide Web has enabled those intent on propagating hate to do so immediately and at no expense. Further, both Kinsella and Heideman said bad state actors are determined to exploit the internet to spread misinformation and hate speech.
Heideman said there was no place for timidity in the present environment and advocated examining each situation and acting accordingly – in other words, not remaining silent.
“Being quiet does not do us any good,” he said. “Being quiet leads to Holocaust denial, distortion and people not caring. We have to take action in a way that is targeted, strategic and powerful – that means in federal courts, state courts and international courts.”
Kinsella is president of the Daisy Group and a former special assistant to former prime minister Jean Chrétien. He has advised numerous political campaigns and is the author of several books, in addition to being a newspaper columnist.
Heideman, senior counsel at Heideman, Nudelman and Kalik PC, and chair of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Lawyers Committee, is a specialist in American and international litigation.
Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.
