Fight Jew Hatred--Support Jewish Canadian Students for Adoption of IHRA on All Campuses

We, the undersigned, are Jewish college, undergraduate, and post-graduate students at academic institutions from across Canada who have seen an alarming spike in antisemitic sentiment and discrimination on our campuses.

In order to help administrators better identify and meaningfully combat this trend, we are calling on our universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

In our view, adopting the IHRA definition is the most effective way to combat antisemitism as it exists today. It has already been adopted by the federal government, the Province of Ontario, the University of Manitoba and University of Western Ontario student unions, the Global Imams Council, and other bodies. Zach Banner, the Pittsburgh Steelers star-turned-activist, is campaigning the NFL to adopt the definition. Facebook is considering endorsing it to better combat hate speech on its platform.

So, what is IHRA?

IHRA is an intergovernmental organization founded by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson that boasts 34 member countries, including Canada. Its mandate was to craft a definition of antisemitism that was robust and applicable worldwide, centred on these 15 words: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.

IHRA supplements this with eleven working examples of what constitutes antisemitism in-action, such as “Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing” or “Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.”

These examples take into account that, as the world’s oldest form of hatred, there are mutations of antisemitism that exist on both sides of the spectrum.

As students involved in the Jewish community on campus, we can corroborate that antisemitism has found an all-too comfortable home at Canadian universities. Using the IHRA definition would help administrators establish when more insidious forms of antisemitism are taking place.

For instance, earlier this year a student group at Queen’s University launched a fundraising campaign in support of an organization with terrorist ties and called for the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terror entity in Canada. The PFLP has staged several terror attacks on Jewish places of worship, including a 2014 synagogue massacre that left six dead, including one Canadian.

When Jewish students said the campaign created an unsafe environment, particularly for victims of terrorism on campus, the group claimed their charges of terrorism were rooted in racism and Islamophobia.

At the University of Toronto, its Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) club has invited individuals aligned with the PFLP on several occasions. Last year it was Yafa Jarrar, a known PFLP apologist, and before that it was Issam Al-Yamani, a self-admitted former member and noted security threat by the Canadian government. After pressure from several human rights organizations, the event with Al-Yamani was moved off-campus.

The instances described above led to the targeting and harassment of Jewish students. That is, by definition, antisemitism. Scores of Jewish students at York University have complained that the infamous mural of an individual ready to throw rocks at a Jewish “settler” (a real scenario that has often led to death or serious injury) makes them feel unwelcome. In Montreal, the McGill Daily maintains an editorial policy that results in the ostracism of most of the school’s Jewish population. How are those not antisemitism?

In our view, the culprits who deny Jewish voices on campus continue to get away with it because their antisemitism isn’t being defined as such. Adopting the IHRA definition would provide administrators with guidelines to ensure students are protected in conjunction with formalized anti- hate university policies, as well as provincial and federal law.

There is a movement taking place where students are standing up and owning our identity as Jews. At universities such as Windsor, we have been vocal about adopting IHRA to better protect ourselves from discrimination. However, rather than listening to our concerns, Windsor professors with a clear political bias are actively fighting to undermine our attempts.

As students, we are pleased that the IHRA definition continues to get increased attention in public discourse, as we clearly see it serving as a vital educational tool.

All-too common incidents like swastikas and ‘Heil Hitler’ Zoom bombings, while horrendous, are easy to denounce as antisemitic. But the face of antisemitism has morphed in the 21st century, and our response must pivot commensurately. Advocating for the destruction of the Jewish homeland has been given a pass as political speech. The IHRA definition helps identify the antisemitism that is at the very core of such ideas.

We, as students, recognize that it is instrumental for universities to put a stop to the pervasive antisemitism on campus. We are firmly convinced that adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism will be a very important first step.

Signed,
 

Eric Addleman, Simon Fraser University (alumni)
 Jeremy Addleman, University of Victoria
 Aron Amaev, Trent University
 Josh Arbess, McMaster University
 Daniella Aschaiek, York University
 Jake Assouline, Concordia University
 Emma Atlas, Queen’s University
 Taryn Atlin, Ryerson University (alumni)
 Maya Avnj, Carleton University
 Joshua Aziza, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Orly Aziza, York University
 Daniel Baum, Queen’s University (alumni)
 Diane Bederman, York University (alumni)
 Sandrine Bendavid, Seneca College
 Chaiel Benlolo, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Matthew Benzrihem, Concordia University
 Quinn Bernholtz, Brock University
 Ken Bernknopf, York University (alumni)
 Nelson Bernstein, University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law
 David Besprozvanny, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Michael Birman, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Gideon Blinick, University of Toronto
 Yan Bouzaglou, Université de Montreal, Faculté de Droit
 Jamie Braudy, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Hanita Braun, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Ben Buckler, University of Toronto
 Hannah Casseres, Simon Fraser University
 Sophia Cherniak, University of Guelph
 Alexa Cohen, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Daniel Cohen, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Emma Cohen, University of Toronto
 Robbie Cohen, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Shoshana Rosa Cohen, Carleton University
 Yuval Cohen, George Brown College
 Emma Collie, Queen’s University
 Omri Daniel, University of Toronto
 Elad Dekel, University of Toronto
 Naomi Derfel, Queen’s University
 Adam Dobrer, University of British Columbia
 Ben Dodek, University of Ottawa
 Naena Drazman, University of Toronto
 Ron East, University of Winnipeg (alumni)
 Ariella Eisenberg, University of Toronto
 Elisheva Eisenberg, McGill University
 Léa Elkaim, Université de Sherbrooke
 Shani Elmakias, George Brown College
 Talia Erlich, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Amanda Eskenasi Hohmann, York University
 Jamie Fabian, Concordia University
 Sagiv Fadida, University of British Columbia
 Arrin Falk-Dotan, McMaster University
 Cammy Felds, Queen’s University
 Jordan Frankel, Queen’s University
 Beata Fourmanovskis, York University
 Sam Friedman, University of Western Ontario
 Danielle Fuchs, McGill University
 Dr. David Futerman, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Natalie Gabay, York University
 Deena Gangbar, York University
 Tyler Garfinkle, York University
 Logan Garnet, Queen’s University
 Nadav Gasner, McMaster University
 Shoshana Gastfreund-Aziza, University of Toronto & York University (alumni)
 Caroline Gelber, Western University (alumni)
 Jonathan Glasenberg, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
 Madison Gold, McGill University
 Robin Goldberg, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Rafael Goldchain, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Chen Goldenberg, York University
 Melila Gordis, Queen’s University
 Danielle Gottlieb, McGill University
 Marcus Gottlieb, University of British Columbia
 Stephen Greenberg, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Noah Guttmann, Queen’s University
 Anael Hadid, McGill University
 Shirley Halperin, McGill University
 Zachary Halpern, University of Ottawa
 Ethan Halpren, University of Toronto
 Griffin Hanratty, York University
 Adam Hayat, York University (alumni)
 Leeran Hayek, Ryerson University
 Ysabella Hazan, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
 Meir Hersson-Edery, University of Montreal Faculty of Law
 Lauren Higgins, Trent University
 Jordan Hochman, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Turner Hoffman, University of Western Ontario
 Dahlia Horlick, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
 Avishai Infeld, McGill University
 Mettannah Jacobson, McGill University
 Shmuel Juni, University of Toronto
 Stuart Kamenetsky, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Evan Kanter, University of Toronto
 Cory Katzman, Wilfrid Laurier University (alumni)
 Zev Kline, University of Western Ontario
 Noam Kogan, Ryerson University
 Shirel Korobkin, Ryerson University (alumni)
 Aliza Kraft, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Jamie Kreidstein, McGill University
 Ron Krell, University of British Columbia (alumni)
 Andrew Kupfer, University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law
 Remi Kupfer, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Dean Lavi, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Emily Lawrence, McGill University
 Philip Lerner, University of Waterloo
 Jeremy Levett, McGill University
 Danielle Levi, McGill University
 Lidor Levi, University of Guelph
 Joshua Lewis, University of Western Ontario
 Noah Lewis, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Maxwell Librach, University of Toronto
 Maxwell Lightstone, McMaster University
 Rachel Litvinenko, University of Western Ontario
 Michael Litvak, University of Manitoba
 Danielle Love, McMaster University
 Marlene Lovinsky, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Dora Machtinger, Seneca College (alumni)
 Noah Maimon, University of Western Ontario
 Cory Maman, Ryerson University (alumni)
 Amanda Marciano, Concordia University
 Jordana Marciano, Concordia University
 Oren Mathews, University of British Columbia
 Joshua Matile, Trent University
 Gita Margolese, McGill University
 Elaine Melamed, Concordia University
 Sam Mendelsohn, Carleton University (alumni)
 Samuel Mesguich, McGill University
 Shira Miller, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Jessica Mintz, McGill University
 Jesse Muller, University of Ottawa
 Gdalit Neuman, York University
 Igal Nulman, York University
 Eden Ohayon, McGill University
 Sarah O’Neill, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
 Bianca Orlan, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Megan Osler, Queen’s University
 Howard Ovens, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Tali Oziel, University of Western Ontario
 Kass Palter, Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University
 Ella Pekarsky, Ryerson University
 Austin Pelizzer, Carleton University
 Shloime Perel, McGill University (alumni)
 Noa Peretz, Concordia University
 Nika Perel, University of British Columbia
 Danielle Perlon, University of Toronto
 Casey Pechet, University of Victoria (alumni)
 Richard Rachlis, University Of Toronto (alumni)
 Bryan Reingold, University of Waterloo (alumni)
 Jake Reznik, University of British Columbia
 Richard Robertson, York University
 Noah Robbins, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Edith Rosemberg, Durham College
 Reesa Rosen, Concordia University (alumni)
 Gabriela Rosenblum, University of Toronto
 Yardena Rosenblum, University of Toronto
 Sydney Rouah, McGill University
 David I Roytenberg, Carleton University (alumni)
 Noam Saban, University of Toronto
 Tara Sabloff, University of Ottawa
 Daniel Safran, Ryerson University
 Mark J. Sager MD, University of Ottawa (alumni)
 Evan Sankar, York University
 Luis Saravia Patron, Concordia University (alumni)
 Barry Schafer, York University (alumni)
 Aaron Schaffer, McMaster University
 Amy Schecter, Dawson College
 Pamela Schimmer, McMaster University
 Danielle Schwarz, Fanshawe College
 Stephen Shalinsky, Concordia University
 Russell Shalev, McGill University (alumni)
 Neilah Shapiro, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Ryan Shapiro, Concordia University
 Henriette Sherret, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Ellie Sherman, University of British Columbia
 Melissa Shiff, McMaster University
 Melanie Shimov, University of Toronto
 Shira Silver, University of Ottawa
 Simi Silver, Centennial College, York University, and University of Toronto (alumni)
 Harold B. Smith, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management (alumni)
 Meira Snitman, York University (alumni)
 Yael Shteyer, University of Western Ontario
 Bernie Shuster, University of Montreal
 Ariella Sibony, York University (alumni)
 Sabrina Silverstone, Wilfrid Laurier University
 Julian Sintim, Concordia University
 Randi Skurka, University of T Pharmacy (alumni)
 Michael Sobol, York University
 Beth Solomons, Ryerson University
 Michael Snider, Sheridan College (alumni)
 Andria Spindel, University of Calgary & University of British Columbia (alumni)
 Janna Sternthal, McGill University
 Dr. Howard Stevens, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Joshua Switzer, University of Victoria
 Walid Tamtam, University of Toronto
 Shane Verspaandonk, York University
 Ariel Weinstein, York University
 Nate Weisbrod, Ryerson University
 Irving Weisdorf, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Sadie-Rae Werner, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Sheldon H Wiseberg, Ontario Tech University & York University (alumni)
 Kinneret Witty, Ryerson University
 Rafi Yablonsky, York University (alumni)
 Elior Yona, McGill University (alumni)
 Zachary Zarnett-Klein, York University
 Noah Zatzman, York University (alumni)
 Nan J. Zeifman, York University
 Lester Zelberg, University of Western Ontario (alumni)
 Karen Zelko, York University
 Candi Zell, University of Manitoba (alumni)
 Taylor Zieper, York University
 Cynthia Zimmerman, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Vivienne Ziner, York University & McGill University (alumni)
 Eton Ziner-Cohen, University of Toronto
 Jon Ziner-Cohen, Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University
 Tiphaera Ziner-Cohen, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
 Anthony Levy, University of Western Ontario
 Evelyn Eisenberg, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Michael Teper, University of Toronto Faculty of Law (alumni)
 Lionel Ghan, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Etta Kaner, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Shelley Ross, York University (alumni)
 Jerry Levine, University of Toronto (alumni)
 J. Barry Gurdin, University of Toronto & University of Montreal (alumni)
 David Katz, Carleton University
 Jesse Liss, York University (alumni)
 Ruthie Rolbin Arnold, Concordia University (alumni)
 Michelle Somin, York University
 Gerald Tarder, McGill University (alumni)
 Sydell Waxman, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Joel Katzberg, York University
 Ari Blaff, University of Toronto
 Jake Assouline, Concordia University
 Casey Pechet, University of Victoria (alumni)
 Harold B. Smith, University of Toronto (alumni)
 Shai DeLuca, The Art Institute (alumni)
 Benjamin Kirshenblatt, University of New Brunswick