Dear Presidents,
Antisemitism has found terribly fertile ground in Canadian universities, and through a combination of soft or unenforced policies, and tolerance for hate verbiage, lies and distortions, fed by radical student groups and anti-Israel faculty, it has infected hundreds if not thousands of young minds. The future of our Canadian democracy, multi-culturalism, and shared humanity, depends on rational, compassionate leaders, and universities across the board are failing our society by tolerating the intolerable.
Whether it’s through administrative declarations about free speech, or claims about student clubs and governing bodies as being independent, the university leadership is failing us -- failing all Canadians of all ethnicities and political perspectives. Hate has no place in our society! Words matter and hate speech leads to violence! Mass behaviour follows leadership, good or bad! Students aren’t all capable of research, analysis, fact-finding, fairness and competent decision-making. Under the early days of the Nazi regime, academics and professionals were among the first to get on board with their Jew hatred programs; it wasn’t average Germans who pushed the agenda, but professors, lawyers, judges, medical professionals, and business élites who dehumanized Jews, and forced them out of employment and educational institutions.
Today’s leftist élites are attempting to do the same, pushing against Israel, Israelis and Jews in general. Not to call it out, not to name it, is antisemitism and not to adopt and act on the IHRA definition of antisemitism is cowardly and a betrayal of our shared values. It shows animus to Jews, bigotry towards Israel, and an injustice that both weakens and endangers the future of Canadian society.
To those university Presidents, Chancellors or Provosts who have issued a strong condemnation of Hamas’s abhorrent, barbaric behaviour, we say thank you, and commend you. Those among you who have not shown support for Israel, not confronted or condemned students, student group, faculty members or associations that support Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the PLO, PFLP and all other Islamist terrorist organization, we say, “Shame on you!”
Which of you has made a public statement denying students and faculty members access to the campus and its facilities, including online services and the institution’s name/brand, for any rally/protest or other support for the defense of Hamas’s massacre of innocent people? Which of you has stated clearly and loudly that Israel, the Jewish state, has the right and obligation to defend its people and eliminate Hamas and its terrorist partners? Please do send us your statements for publication to the community.
This is not a simple request. CAEF demands accountability for actions that fuel Jew hatred, a growing, festering blight at western universities. Our children, Jewish and non-Jewish, should not be subjected to bigotry and lies that are the fodder of Islamists, as well as extreme left and right wing hatred, couched as “narratives” -- devoid of facts, history, as well as legal and moral imperatives.
The time is now! Never again is now! It is today! Silence begets complicity! Support for Jihad -- for Holy War -- against Israel or any other state is immoral and we expect you to strongly condemn and punish it. And eradicate it from your campus!
Sincerely,
Andria Spindel
Anita Bromberg
Co-Chairs, End Jew Hatred Canada
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