The New Israeli Government and a New Year
The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation extends a mazel tov and best wishes to all members of the Israeli Knesset who were sworn into office on December 29th. May they be successful in fulfilling their promises to the electorate, and to all Israelis of all backgrounds and walks of life. While this new government is surrounded by controversy, they have been elected by the majority of the State of Israel, and thus represent the hopes and dreams of the people of Israel. They are the government of all the people and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged this, and despite naysayers, has indicated that no discrimination against any minority will be tolerated, no extremes will dominate his agenda.
Let Israel find security in its dangerous neighborhood, more peaceful allies among the Arab countries, more support from a discontented Europe that has worked to undermine its legitimacy, more support from a bipartisan US government, as well as the Canadian parliament. Israel remains a vibrant example of democracy and a Jewish state for all Jews.
SUPPORT CAEF IN BRINGING YOU EXPERT VOICES ON ISRAEL AND JEWISH PRIDE, ALLIES WITH PURPOSE, SOCIAL ACTION AND ADVOCACY, RESEARCH ON ANTISEMITISM IN COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS, AND CONFERENCES THAT BUILD COMMUNITIES OF SOLIDARITY.
Parents & Students at Ottawa-Carlton School Board Demand End to Jew Hatred
On December 20th, as a follow up to Rise Up Ottawa, the conference that addressed antisemitism in the Ottawa-Carlton schools, parents and students brought their protest against Jew hatred to address Trustees directly at their board meeting. A strong showing of support, organized by Ottawa Against Antisemitism and End Jew Hatred, had student speakers outline their personal experiences of antisemitism, and demand the Board take action. The Trustees committed to considering a recommendation at their next meeting that the board hire an Equity Officer to address antisemitism.
This is still a far cry from adopting and implementing the IHRA working definition of antisemitism which CAEF has recommended. There must be an accepted definition of antisemitism if any officer, staff or other body is going to actually address the problem. The level of antisemitism in Ontario schools has risen sharply in recent years, most notably in the Toronto District, York Region and Ottawa-Carlton District, but not exclusively in these 3 regions.
What is specifically needed, is for the Minister of Education, Mr. Stephen Lecce, to mandate the use of IHRA as the guideline in identifying all instances of this virus, and mandate trustee and teacher education to implement it. Ignoring this call from Jewish organizations, is ignoring, if not outright rejecting, a valid and valuable solution to ending Jew hatred.
Sadly, the excuses often given by the objectors to IHRA, include false claims such as: this definition silences Palestinian voices, the definition is one of several so why choose one over the other (so do nothing if the Jews don't agree), the definition conflicts with free speech, antisemitism isn't that much of a problem and is covered under generic anti-racist policies, and some Jewish organizations oppose IHRA (yes fringe groups such as IJV) so it isn't the universally accepted definition. Excuses, objections and the lack of solutions, pretty much ensure that nothing will change.
CAEF urges all readers to write to the Ottawa-Carlton District School Board and demand they adopt IHRA, implement training on it, document and discipline those who perpetrate antisemitism and appoint an Equity officer to ensure such actions are taken.
Ottawa police support the Jewish community—read letter here.
Where is Israel-Palestine?
Should the New Israel Fund be renamed for it promotes a false concept, that there is a country called Israel-Palestine. Does the NIF know of a country called Palestine and what its borders are? Below is an example of their social media posts which are misleading Jewish youth. Perhaps this NGO which regularly supports anti-Israel projects run by NGOs and social justice warriors ought to be called the New Palestine Fund which more accurately portrays what they seem to be promoting.
NGO Monitor reports the following: "Over the last two years, groups receiving funds from the New Israel Fund have been part of a network of NGOs that promote artificial and manufactured definitions of apartheid to extend the campaigns that seek to delegitimize and demonize Israel.:
One of their pet projects is IfNotNow, an activist group that promotes lies about Israel, demonstrates actively against Zionism, and is utterly ignorant of Jewish history or the roots of the present day conflict and the intent of the Palestinian Arab governments to destroy the Jewish state. Statements about social justice issued by NIF, IfNotNow and other leftist NGOs ignore the daily threats and the real attacks against Jews; murder by rocks, bombs, bullets, car rammings, and knives are seemingly unimportant to these Jews. The fact that Palestinian Arabs recently polled over 70% against the existence of a Jewish state, and that Hamas calls for the murder of all Jews, while the Palestinian Authority pays Arabs to murder Jews, seems irrelevant to these "peaceniks." So, where is peace to come from?
CAEF Takes Issue with Anti-Government Rhetoric from JSpace
After reading the fundraising solicitations for a few leftist Jewish organizations that are focused on condemning the duly elected government of Israel, CAEF ponders just how these causes and crusades by leftists help assure the safety and security of Israel?
How do such organizations defend Israel's right to exist, and the rights of the Jews to reconstitute the Jewish homeland in ancient Israel, when they are rivalling one another for the position of greatest critic of a legitimate government in the land of the Jews since the days of the Hellenists? How do these "progressive" Jewish organizations hold their heads high when they themselves invoke antisemitic and tired stereotypes of orthodox Jews? How dare JSpace recommend that the Canadian government not meet with newly elected MKs and 330 Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative rabbis publish a letter claiming these few right wing MK's will not be welcome in their synagogues? Their vitriol against religious Zionists elected to the Knesset and appointed to Ministerial positions is evidence that there is no Klal Yisroel.
CAEF submitted the response below to a Blog in the Times of Israel by two JSpace board members. It will be a very sad day if the anti-democracy left, wins people over to its vicious attack on Israel's government. More people need wake up to the fact that Israel is a democracy that is not threatened by Jews who love Torah and Zionism. Israel survived a government that had anti-Zionist, anti-LGBTQ, terror-supporting Arab members. This was said to be evidence of a thriving democracy. Surely then, this democracy will do fine with religious Jews?
Response submitted to The Blogs, The Times of Israel, December 29, 2022
"In their Blog on December 28th, 2022, Canadians Joe Roberts and Michael Morgenthau condemned the new, democratically elected Israeli government and claimed to have done so on behalf of Canadian Jews. Clearly Roberts and Morgenthau don’t speak for the Canadian Jewish community, only for the small band of politically driven “progressive”, woke, leftists whose vicious bias against anything pro-Israel or “conservative” evokes catastrophic responses, tears of grief, a bottomless well of angst, and tireless vitriol about casualties to democracy. The only casualty is from today’s Left itself, that somehow cannot accept that intelligent, happy, educated Israelis are fed up with leftist failures and eager to democratically embrace solutions that provide security and stability, punishment for convicted terrorists, hope for the future with a vibrant free market economy, an end to the lie of “occupation,” and the quelling of Islamist antics within the government itself. There is NO threat to democracy in Israel simply because the majority favour a strong right of center government and do not disparage our own traditionally observant Jews. Freedom of religion should be sacrosanct but it seems the progressives want it in theory, but not in practice.
The statement that is most appalling from Roberts and Morgenthau is this: “...Netanyahu’s new government cobbles together a Who’s Who of Israel’s most prominent homophobes, settlers and racists.” Really, how perverse, that non-Israelis chooses to defame a coalition which shares Jewish and democratic values, when the previous government included Islamists who do not even recognize the state of Israel’s right to exist, religious Islamists who of course do not support rights for Gays and Lesbians and have been known to execute them, and members of leftist movements that support illegal Arab colonial settlements funded by foreign governments for the sole purpose of discrediting Israel and undermining the Jewish people’s sovereign rights to their land, and even rights specified in the Oslo Accords. Those Accords have never been adhered to by one of the signing parties, the Palestinian Authority."
Sharing a Joke
Not so Funny, the Data Tells a Story
Americans Against Antisemitism analyzed data concerning hate crimes against Jews in New York York City from April 2018 through August 2022. In 194 documented cases, the perpetrators' identity was known 99 times.
64% by blacks; 17% by Muslims; 11% by Hispanics: and 3% by whites.
Where are all those white supremacists that the woke media constantly claims are assaulting Jews in New York City?
Advocacy and Action
Response from Thames Valley District School Board
In response to CAEF’s letter of November 10th, on school dress guidelines, coming after the school included T-shirts bearing the message, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,” as an example of what is unacceptable, the Board advised they took this example down. That is consistent with kowtowing to the extremist anti-Israel group, Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, which promotes this hateful, genocidal message. The message should have remained as an example as it is antisemitic, a message of incitement that is unacceptable.
CAEF wrote to the Ottawa-Carlton District School Board, supporting the recommendation that a motion be tabled at the next board meeting regarding the hiring of a Jewish Equity Consultant to identify and combat antisemitism. CAEF suggested measures to ensure efficacy and accountability.
CAEF wrote to the National Post regarding an Op Ed by Barbara Kay, entitled Trudeau's anti-Israel money train. CAEF noted that the greatest aspect of this anti-Israel expenditure is the funding of UNRWA which promotes terrorism and violence against Jews.