It Starts with San Remo 1920
The Supreme Council of the Allied Powers, the victors in WWI, decided the fate of the former Ottoman Empire, along with borders of countries in Europe, but how soon we forget. Or, were we even taught this fact and if so, what does the older generation remember, and did they teach it to their children?
Sadly, most Jews and the majority of non-Jews do not know that the Mandate for Palestine required the British to encourage and facilitate the in-migration of Jews to Palestine and divided the territory into a Jewish country and an Arab country thus recognizing the national aspirations of two peoples. Over the course of the next 20+ years the area allocated for the Jews was reduced, and the area for the Arabs enlarged. The Jews readily accepted the offer as did the Arab leadership in 1920, but the division was not to be. The British held the mandate and like babysitters, were expected to help the new young nations to develop their land, develop their governance and develop responsibilities for independence.
Within a few years the Arabs were attacking the Jews, both the indigenous Jews who had thousands of years of history in the land, and the new arrivals. The British, who since the Balfour Declaration of 1917 were absent in their responsibilities, sided with the Arabs and terror against the Jews was, if not supported, generally ignored, until the British found themselves under attack and left the country. By 1947, after the world had ignored the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust and the UK had allowed for the erosion of the geographic area for the Jews into unusual pieces of a puzzle, the UN voted to allow the Jews to re-constitute their home in Palestine which in 1948 the new government declared as the independent Jewish state of Israel. This then is why April 25, 1920 is commemorated and needs to be remembered by every Jew.
CAEF has joined with Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights (CILR), the Zionist Organization of America and Im Tirtzu to support the call for Israel to declare the April 25th as Yom San Remo and teach this history to all children.
The photo below is from the European Coalition for Israel and was taken at the 90th anniversary of the San Remo Conference, held in San Remo, Italy, and attended by Canadians Salomon Benzimra (deceased) (front row left) and Goldi Steiner (Co-chair of CILR), (front row second from left), the co-founders of Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights. Also in the front row, third from left is former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and Thomas Sandell of EC4I is front row, second from right.
Read Diane Bederman’s Blog to understand the importance of teaching about San Remo and click here to register for the webinar with experts on Sunday, April 25th at 10:00 AM, celebrating 101st anniversary of the San Remo Declaration.
Does anyone think there was justice for Sarah Halimi, that truth won out? Despite the fact that people in Western societies were raised to believe that truth and justice are fundamental principles of our Judeo-Christian culture, there was no justice for Halimi and truth did not prevail.
In sum, here is the story as shared by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). “The French Court of Cassation ruled that the murderer of the beloved grandmother (Sarah Halimi), will not be sentenced because he was too high on marijuana at the time of the crime.
“Early in the night of April 4th, 2017, Dr. Sarah Halimi, a 65-year old Jewish woman and former teacher, was attacked in her home by a neighbor, 27-year old Kobili Traoré, a drug dealer and addict. Kobili beat Halimi mercilessly for over 50 minutes, while screaming “Allahu Akbar” and reciting verses from the Quran. He then flung Halimi from her third-floor balcony, while the police were at the front door awaiting reinforcements.
This legal decision is shocking and cannot be allowed to stand! For the sake of Sarah Halimi, her family, and the French Jewish community, we encourage all of our partners to stand up and ensure the murderer is held to account.”
CAM and the many partners of End Jew Hatred are holding protest rallies across the globe on Sunday, April 25th in response to a call by the Jewish leadership in France to show solidarity with the Halimi family in Paris on Sunday, April 25th, at 2:00 pm local time, at the Parvis des Droits de l’Homme, Place du Trocadéro. Rallies are also being held in LA, New York, Miami, Marseille, Tel Aviv, London and Toronto.
In Canada, despite the covid lockdown, we will also show solidarity and here is how. EACH PERSON READING THIS CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:
Help make this campaign go viral by sharing the following text below and images on social media between now and Sunday, April 25th, with the hashtags #JusticeForSarah #JeSuisSarah #EndJewHatred.
There will be a covid compliant short vigil in front of the French Consulate in downtown Toronto, Sunday April 25th at 11:00 am, and for information, click here
Suggested Post Text to Use:
Today, I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of France and demand JUSTICE for Sarah Halimi and her bereaved family!
There is no excuse for anti-Semitism, and hate crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
CAEF Tells the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to Stick to the Truth
The proposal from a pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel group to include a Nakba Exhibit in the museum dedicated to the Holocaust and other genocides, must be rejected because it will empower BDS antisemitism, because it perpetuates a lie, and because it has nothing to do with human rights.
The Nakba is Holocaust revisionism, it is the claim by Palestinian Arabs that the creation of Israel was the result of a tragedy, the tragedy of course being the establishment of the Jewish state.
Accompanying the claim against the legitimate establishment of a UN backed country are lies about Jewish land grabs, rapes, pillaging and murderous atrocities. NONE of which occurred. The Arabs rejected the immigration of Jews, denied the heralded new state, and 5 Arab armies attacked Israel in 1949. The tragedy is of course the recalcitrant and intransigent Arab leadership that refused peace, rejected multiple offers to establish a separate state, evicted all the Jews from lands they grabbed in 1949 including east Jerusalem’s Old City, and since then have executed extraordinarily harsh measures against their own people, held hostage so-called refugees, gotten wealthy on donor handouts and provided poor services to their constituents. That is the tragedy that was then, and continues today.
The Government of Canada has adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights must also adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, especially as it struggles to remove the label of being a racist, anti-homophobic institution which came after an internal report investigated employee complaints a year ago that resulted in ejecting the former management. Now the management must reject calls for an antisemitic, ahistorical Nakba Exhibit.
Be a Gutsy Zionist!
Gil Troy, educator, author, gutsy Zionist, wrote in an article titled, Why Zionism is Still Important to so Many Today, published April 12, 2021 in the online space Jewish Unpacked, that “Zionism” is not a word to be avoided. As Jews we need reaffirm our faith in Zionism, tell the world how proud we are of our Zionism, of Israel, of being a Jew. Below is an excerpt of the article and the link to the article is here.
“We are not just anti-anti-Semites or anti-anti-Zionists. Jews should reaffirm their faith in Zionism; the world should appreciate this gutsy, visionary movement which rescued a shattered people by reuniting a scattered people.”
Gil Troy is a Distinguished Scholar of North American History at McGill University, and the author of nine books on American History and three books on Zionism: Why I am a Zionist (2001,2006); Moynihan's Moment: America's Fight Against Zionism as Racism (2012);and The Zionist Ideas (2018). His book, Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People, co-authored with Natan Sharansky was just published by PublicAffairs of Hachette.
Kulanu Canada in partnership with CAEF and other NGOs presented Dr. Navras Aafreedi on The Israelite Origins of the Pashtuns. The topic covered historical and cultural connections, speculation and assumptions, anecdotes and personal relations, about two ancient peoples. As well Dr. Aafreedi examined views on Jews, Israel and Zionism that are prevalent among the world's largest conglomeration of warlike tribes, located in South Asia.