Letter from Larry Shapiro, Calgary, to Globe and Mail on August 6, 2025 re: column by David Paperny, blaming Israel for suffering in Gaza

Dear Editor,

The picture accompanying David Paperny's column calling for the Canadian Jewish community to get behind the suffering Gazans tells us all what we need to know about the famine in Gaza. All the people in the picture are well fed. There is not one emaciated person among them. Yes, they all appear to be shouting out in pain, a response I suggest that was staged by the Palestinian victimhood photographer, but these people are not starving. Famers markets, food stalls and restaurants loaded with food are still in operation in Gaza but we will never see those pictures.

Israel has facilitated the delivery of thousands of tons of food, much of it stolen by Hamas and resold to the Gazans to raise money for its war with Israel and for the bank accounts of their billionaire leaders living in Qatar and Türkiye. The UN refuses to deliver the aid because it is afraid that Hamas will kill their aid workers for depriving Hamas of its revenue. Hamas and the UN are doing everything they can to sabotage the joint Israeli American initiative to deliver food directly to the Gazans because both have been sidelined by the plan.

Two other points are missing from Paperny's column: not a single Gazan would have died or lost their homes if Hamas had not started the war, and blaming Israel, but none of the other participants, has created a huge increase in Jew hatred in Canada.

As a Jewish Canadian, here is what really disturbs our community. We are shocked that our TV news channels and newspapers are constantly blaming Israel for the situation. We believe that this selective blame is unfair resulting in a huge increase in hatred for our people, none of whom have anything to do with what goes on in Gaza. The Jewish community is aghast that our federal government has done nothing to stem the hatred of Israel and by extension Jews at many of our universities, some of which proudly host Israel Apartheid Weeks, when all know that there is nothing remotely like apartheid in Israel. The accusation is nothing more than an insult directed at Jews by those taking advantage of free speech protection at these universities. Canada's Jewish community is disturbed that our children have to hide their Jewish identity at their universities.

Let us suppose that the huge increase in antisemitic acts in Canada is due to Israel's conduct of its war with Hamas. If somehow we could get Israel to stop fighting and pull out of Gaza would there be a lessening of hate toward Jews? My guess is no, that all it would engender is a feeling that the Jews are vulnerable and can be pushed around, so lets keep up the pressure in hopes that the next concession will be Jewish collaboration in the destruction of the Jewish state. That is a reality in Canada's Jewish community, and one concession that the majority of Canada's Jews will never make.

Larry Shapiro, Calgary