Jewish Voices Condemning University Repression

This statement was rejected by both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail(as an op-ed). Please help this important statement get into broadcirculation - pass it on to your networks (faculty, community, MPs,university presidents, unions etc.). You may also wish to write to the Star and Globe and express your dismay that they have chosen not to publish it.


Jewish Canadians Concerned about Suppression of Criticism ofIsrael

We are Jewish Canadians concerned about all expressions of racism, anti-Semitism, and social injustice. We believe that the Holocaust legacy "Never again" means never again for all peoples. It is a tragic turn of history that the State of Israel, with its ideals of democracy and its dream of being a safe haven for Jewish people, causes immeasurable suffering and injustice to the Palestinian people.

We are appalled by recent attempts of prominent Jewish organizations and leading Canadian politicians to silence protest against the State of Israel. We are alarmed by the escalation of fear tactics. Charges that those organizing Israel Apartheid Week or supporting an academic boycott of Israel are anti-Semites promoting hatred bring the anti-Communist terror of the1950s vividly to mind. We believe this serves to deflect attention fromIsrael's flagrant violations of international humanitarian law. B'nai Brith and the Canadian Jewish Congress have pressured university presidents and administrations to silence debate and discussion specificallyregarding Palestine/Israel.

In a full-page ad in a national newspaper, B'naiBrith urged donors to withhold funds from universities because "anti-Semitic hate fests" were being allowed on campuses. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff have echoed these arguments. While university administrators have resisted demands to shut down Israel Apartheid Week, some Ontario university presidents have bowed to this disinformation campaign by suspending and fining students, confiscating posters, and infringing on free speech. We do not believe that Israel acts in self-defense. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid, receiving $3 million/day. It has the fourth strongest army in the world. Before the invasion of Gaza on 27 December 2008, Israel's siege had already created a humanitarian catastrophe there,with severe impoverishment, malnutrition, and destroyed infrastructure. It is crucial that forums for discussion of Israel's accountability to theinternational community for what many have called war crimes be allowed toproceed unrestricted by specious claims of anti-Semitism.

We recognize that anti-Semitism is a reality in Canada as elsewhere, and weare fully committed to resisting any act of hatred against Jews. At the sametime, we condemn false charges of anti-Semitism against student organizations, unions, and other groups and people exercising their democratic right to freedom of speech and association regarding legitimatecriticism of the State of Israel.

Signatories: Abigail Bakan, Adam Balsam, Sharon Baltman, Julia Barnett, Lainie Basman, Jody Berland, Sam Blatt, Geri Blinik, Anita Block, Elizabeth Block, SheilaBlock, Hannah Briemberg, Mark Brill, Stephen Brot, Meyer Brownstone, ElizaBurroughs, Smadar Carmon, Gyda Chud, Charles P. Cohen, Nathalie Cohen, David Copeland, Natalie Zemon Davis, Eliza Deutsch, James Deutsch, Judith Deutsch,Abbe Edelson, Jack Etkin, Elle Flanders, Danielle Frank, Ursula Franklin,Dan Freeman-Maloy, Miriam Garfinkle, Alisa Gayle, Jack Gegenberg, MarkGolden, Brenda Goldstein, Sue Goldstein, Cy Gonick, Marnina Gonick, RachelGotthilf, Amy Gottleib, Kevin A. Gould, Daina Green, Lisa FrancesGreenspoon, Ricardo Grinspun, Cathy Gulkin, Rachel Gurofsky, DeboranGuterman, Yesse Gutman, Freda Guttman, Judy Haiven, Michael Hanna-Fein, JeanHanson, Jan Heynen, Maria Heynen, Adam Hofmann, Jake Javanshir, JeannieKamins, Marylin Kanee, Howard S. Kaplan, Gilda Katz, Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta,Mira Khazzam, Bonnie Sher Klein, Mark Klein, Martin Klein, Naomi Klein, Joshua Katz-Rosene, Ryan Katz-Rosene, Judy Koch, Anton Kuerti, Jason Kunin, Aaron Lakoff, Michael Lambek, Natalie LaRoche, Richard Borshay Lee, AndyLehrer, Gabriel Levin, Gabriel Levine, Joel Lexchin, Kim Linekin, AbbyLippman, Lee Lorch, Martin Lukacs, Audrey Macklin, Elise Maltin, RichardMarcuse, Wayne Mark, Gabor Mate, Arthur Milner, Anna Miransky, Dorit Naaman,Joanne Naiman, Neil Naiman, Michael Neumann, David-Marc Newman, David Noble,Clare O¹Connor, Robin Ostow, Andre W. Payant, Jenny Peto, Simone Powell,Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Fabienne Presentey, Yacov Rabkin, Diana Ralph, Naomi Rankin, Judy Rebick, Ester Reiter, Jillian Rogin, Richard Roman,Joseph Rosen, Herman Rosenfeld, Martha Roth, Marty Roth, Ruben Roth, E.Natalie Rothman, B. Sack, Ben Saifer, Miriam Sampaio, Jacob Scheir, FredSchloessinger, Alan Sears, Shlomit Segal, Edward H. Shaffer, NoaShaindlinger, Ray Shankman, Eva Sharell, Elliot Shek, Sid Shniad, MaxSilverman, Samuel Singer, Elizabeth Solloway, Susan Starkman, Greg Starr,Jonathan Sterne, Jeremy Stolow, Rhonda Sussman, Vera Szoke, Joe Tannenbaum, Howard Tessler, Marion Traub-Werner, Ceyda Turan, Sandra Tychsen, CherylWagner, Jon McPhedran Waitzer, David Wall, Naomi Binder Wall, Kathy Wazana,Karen Weisberg, Barry Weisleder, Paul Weinberg, Judith Weisman, SuzanneWeiss, Abraham Weizfeld, Ernie Yacub, B.H. Yael, Yedida Zalik, Melvin Zimmerman