Last week, Green College, an interdisciplinary graduate college on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, hosted a medieval workshop titled The Writing of Ancient Christianity in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. As the title would suggest, the workshop was highly specialized and of limited interest to anyone outside of the scholarly field. Yet, as my Hub opinion piece notes, the presence of a professor of Jewish Law and Ethics alongside academics from the University of Haifa and Hebrew University in Jerusalem placed a target on the workshop that sparked online harassment of participants as well as vandalism and graffiti that called for the removal of Zionists on the walls of the college.
Few Canadians heard about the incident at UBC. They similarly were likely unaware that last week the University of Windsor’s Board of Governors refused to consider a motion to examine a controversial agreement arising from last summer’s encampment protests on the spurious grounds that the deal falls outside of its purview.
There was also little attention paid to two Quebec court injunctions that responded to safety fears of Jewish students and faculty at Concordia and McGill University. Those injunctions prohibited protesters from blocking entrances, protesting within five metres of school buildings, and harassing, intimidating or threatening anyone from the university communities.
As events like these attract diminishing attention, it has become increasingly clear that discrimination, safety fears, and failed leadership on university campuses no longer has the capacity to surprise. The summer encampments may be gone, but the fears of the Jewish community remains with some students concealing their identity, faculty facing security risks on campus, and events held in secret or virtually to avoid harassment. Indeed, a University of Toronto anthropology syllabus this fall stated that the class was a space free of Zionism without anyone seemingly batting an eye.
University leaders know this runs counter not only to their campus codes but to the principled foundation of institutions that have for decades emphasized inclusivity and a safe space for learning. However, on too many campuses and in too many communities, antisemitism that was once taboo is now defended as “merely anti-Zionist” or somehow justified in light on the ongoing war in the Middle East. Neither claim holds up. As University of Toronto President Meric Gertler recently noted, “discrimination based on creed or place of origin does not cease to be prohibited simply because the word ‘Jewish’ or ‘Israeli’ is replaced with the word ‘Zionist’.”
It is not as if leaders have remained entirely absent. Disturbing incidents of hate and violence have led to the listing of organizations such as Samidoun as a terrorist entity. School shootings, which still feel like the stuff of science fiction, have led to intense police investigations culminating in arrests. And last week the Carleton University Senate stood up to pressure and rejected a divestment motion. But the reality is that everyday antisemitism that ostracizes or casually toys with age-old tropes is now so unremarkable that it frequently goes unremarked.
There have been repeated pleas for leaders to take unequivocal stands against antisemitism by enforcing the law and campus codes, upholding the principles found in global definitions that have been adopted by governments, and showing up to stand with students, faculty and the community in their moment of need.
Some do, some don’t.
But those that believe not only in the Jewish community but in Canadian ideals of equality and non-discrimination simply cannot accept antisemitism as acceptable or an unsurprising by-product of troubled times. And so, when universities are home to discriminatory violence, boards shirk their responsibility to safeguard fundamental freedoms, or campus safety is so fraught that court orders are needed, we must call it out again and again and again with a commitment that civil rights apply to all. Antisemitism is no longer hidden and neither must be those that oppose it.
The ongoing genocide in Gaza has unfortunate side effects. May I ask how many Jewish people in Canada have been injured or killed due to anti-semitism post Oct7? How about Muslim people?
Your response has several flaws. 1. There is no genocide, no matter how many times you repeat the lie, it does not make it true. Antizionists have claimed genocide well before Oct 7, the day of Oct 7 and every day since. It’s called a war, that hamas started by infiltrating a sovereign israeli border and slaughtering in the most barbaric way, over 1200 people, and then kidnapping over 250 hostages, including a 9 month old baby and his 4 year old brother. Over 100 that they still refuse to return! 2. That a jew has not been killed is not evidence that no harm has been done. Intimidation, threats, harassment by the kkk against black Americans did not have to culminate in a lynching. Give it time. Hate speech often leads to hate crimes, like shooting up a jewish girls’ school.3. To conflate everything that jews go through by saying, we’ll what about arabs is simply dismissive and deflecting of the problem. It’s like someone saying, someone robbed my house and your response is, well, what about Suzy down the block?
It’s hard to take someone seriously when they imply that israel hasn’t been committing gross war crimes.
Are you trying to justify war crimes on an industrial scale as being justified by what may be a war crime by hamas, acting as a resistance group against a 70 year old illegal occupation by israel, with annexation by stealth?
Forget hate speech often leading to hate crimes…. the war crimes of israel are leading many in the world to despise israel and those that support the murderous regime.
Even UNRWA had complained about Hamas using its schools to store weapons in around 10 years ago. And Hezbollah was noted for setting up rocket launchers next to UN Observer posts in the 15 mile buffer zone.
Is Israel hitting civilian targets? Yes. The rules of war state that the belligerents are not to intentionally target civilian infrastructure. However, attacking dual civilian/military use infrastructure is permitted, and they are allowed to attack the enemy where they are; this last is intended to prevent one side from hiding among otherwise illegal targets. The duty to protect civilians lies with both sides; attackers to do their best to avoid civilian casualties, and on the defenders to not place civilians in the line of fire.
If you were referring to two sovereign nations at war, there would a degree of validity in what you say.
But they are not two sovereign nations… israel is fighting the people of an occupied country, with no ability to defend itself and its citizens in the conventional sense.
Your comment has as much merit as suggesting that the maquis, (the french resistance of WW2) should be held responsible for all the torture, murder, and deportation of french civilians.
It’s ironic that your version of how resistance against illegal occupation should be carried out would have seen a greater number of jews transported to germany with the corresponding dire results.
Do Zionists consider how others who see them supporting an ethnostate indulging in genocide might feel?
Where do they think disgust, dislike and hatred come from? Some nebulous well of anti-semitism?
I think Zionists are not really afraid in Canada, just uncomfortable that many Canadians are no longer buying the hasbara.
So how many Jews have been harmed? Was that none?
Being afraid because of your own paranoia that Palestine being free is anti-semitic is not being harmed or even being at risk.
Some nutjobs shot up a Jewish girls school, some other nutjob vandalized Banu on Queen West after Goldie Ghamari doxxed it.
I think Zionists in Canada are making a lot of noise about something that has harmed … how many people?
Genocide supporters are starting to make the rest of us feel a bit uneasy. Should we consider legislation to limit their rights?
I’m not anti semitic! Sadly I have never met in person one jew who doesn’t support israel’s incredibly evil war crimes. I know they are out there, but they seem so terribly terribly rare….it’s a tragedy.
The column writer decries those who are “anti zionist” while conveniently forgetting that israel is arguably the most evil murderous regime since WW2 germany.
???? Let’s see. Since the end of WW2 there have been the following genocides (all found on Wikipedia):
2003 – present – Dafur, Sudan. Estimates between 98k and 500k killed.
2002 – 2003, DRC. 60k -70k killed
1996 – 1997, Zaire. 200k -233k killed
1994, Rwanda. 491k – 800k killed.
1992 – 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31k – 62k killed
1987 – 1989, Somalia. 50k – 200k killed.
1975 – 1979, Cambodia, 1.4M to 3M killed
and the list goes on. If you insist that Israel is committing a genocide, then they rank as amateurs at it, given that the numbers coming out of the Gaza Health Ministry numbers of a bit over 30k include the numbers of Hamas casualties (i.e. combatants). Don’t forget that Israel had pulled its troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005. Prior to Oct 7. Gaza was self governing (although the Iranian proxy Hamas has refused to hold elections since the late 2000’s).
Of course, people talk about the Palestinian “right to return”. Given that the area is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people (having been ejected from there a couple of times), I guess you figure that they don’t have a reciprocal “right to return”.
“Sadly I have never met in person one jew who doesn’t support israel’s incredibly evil war crimes. I know they are out there, but they seem so terribly terribly rare”
I think it’s a lot rarer in Ontario where people just seem to be more conformist in general. It isn’t hard to meet progressive Jews in BC who are extremely critical of Israeli genocide and apartheid. It’s definitely getting more dangerous globally for those Jewish voices and at this point I feel like we will never see any defense or basic concern for the non-Zionist Jewish community on this blog. Unfortunately quite the opposite-by insisting that criticism of Israel is antisemitic actors like ADL and Geist are enabling the repression and violence that we’ve seen increasingly directed against non-Zionist Holocaust survivors and their families living in States allied with Israel.
I note your list of civil wars and internal massacres, and the Bosnia conflict.
None of those were by a “nation” illegally occupying sovereign territory, and attempting to annex it over many generations.
None of those were by a nation fighting with close to the most sophisticated weapons in the world, deliberately assassinating neutral foreign war correspondents and aid workers, and deliberately targeting defenceless civilians in their homes, their schools, and their hospitals with sophisticated accurate weapons.
For you to comment that israel are amateurs at genocide because they have only killed “a bit over 30K” (your inaccurate figure) demonstrates that your moral values are as monstrous as israeli leadership.
For you to suggest that because jewish people lived in the area thousands of years ago, they are entitled to take it from the current occupant, demonstrates a couple of things:
First, that you are either being deceitful, or are incredibly blind to the stupidity that the world would be in chaos if all living people professed the same madness.
Second, that you are a religious nutter likely to suggest that any of the many “gods” identified by many humans have the right to give land to their followers. Intelligent people realise the violent chaos that would follow widespread belief in that.
The similarities in the inhumanity of WW2 german leadership and israeli leadership is clear for all to see, even from israel’s own videos of its leadership speeches. The naked hatred for people they treat with such violent brutality is appalling.
During WW2 resistance groups fought against the illegal brutal occupation of their lands by WW2 germany and japan, some for up to six years, some for far longer. Western governments professed support for those fighters, and often gave them significant material support. The included brave fighters from france, belgium, the netherlands, poland, norwegians, czechs, chinese, vietnamese, thais, burmese etc etc. These people all resisted the brutal nazi occupiers with lethal force. Some palestinians have resisted the illegal israeli brutal occupation…. for over 70 years. How have western governments reacted? For many years western governments have armed and assisted israel’s illegal occupation and atrocities. Only now are citizens of the world waking up in large numbers to the history and current events of the region, and demanding NO MORE.
Sometimes people make it very difficult to find the separation between zionist jews, and jews at large, when statements about the “rights of jewish people to return” to palestine and steal it from the occupants are made. I know that there are brave jews that stand up and loudly proclaim their disagreement with such a concept, but they are sadly so very rare.
Perhaps we should consider when Genocide No Longer Shocks as an appropriate rebuttal to this piece. While Oct7 was a day of utter violence it pales compared to what Israel has meted out for over a year. Posters here that defend Israel should be ashamed of themselves.
So please let us know what you consider to be an appropriate amount of elapsed time before a people lose the right to return.
As far as you assuming things about me, well, you know what they say about assume. I am someone who tries as best as possible to look at both sides (or more if necessary) on an issue before making up my mind on it. This means getting information from many sources, both western and other, and questioning those sources as to if they are likely to be publishing information with a bias. If the source has a known bias then their info isn’t thrown out but rather that is considered when evaluating the info. The same examination is done for sources which have a vested interest in the reader coming to a specific conclusion; the information the present may well be completely factual, however it may not be all of the applicable information. This applies across all fields, even scientific information; just look at how many studies have been discredited over the past few years because the scientist cherry picked the data points evaluated.
As a result I don’t let others tell me what to think.
oh this crap about comparing islamist terrorist to ww2 partisans 😀 how really original.
jewish people were refugees who came to their homeland. arabs chose to drive them to the sea.
each time they failed and started crying. pogroms in palestine started long before israel was created. arabs drove out 1 milion jews. and yet some idiots still compare it to ww2 partisans 😀
you insult your own intelligence. you can paint abars as victims, so i suggest a single solution to war in gaza:
release israeli hostages. if they do that, israel will have no other excuses. unless of cours palestinians already murdered them all.
“I am someone who tries as best as possible to look at both sides (or more if necessary) on an issue before making up my mind on it.”
What a grotesque deceit! All your words are directed to the support of israel, then you come up with that attempt at deception.
No consideration of israel’s illegal occupation for over 70 years, the history of jewish terrorism before and after the establishment of the state of israel, the atrocities for generations, the deliberate assassination of journalists and aid workers, the deliberate targeting of civilians, of schools, of hospitals.
Not a word of telling civilians to evacuate to safe zones, then shelling and bombing those zones.
Your claim to be neutral and gathering facts while supporting israel’s war crimes is abhorrent. Do you wail “anti semitism” as one of your weapons?
I have no interest in further discussion with you, you monstrous golem.
most of the comments are funny 😀 palestinians started this war, murdered and kidnapped, and now they cry that they are victims.and idiot in the west buy all this bullshit.
The Israelis started this war in ‘48. It is sad what an ignorant racist piece of shit you are.
The incidents on Canadian campuses reflect an alarming rise in anti-Semitism that goes beyond mere political expression and has a real impact on the safety of students and faculty. At places such as UBC and Concordia, Jewish students and staff have faced harassment, and some seminars have been targeted simply because of the presence of scholars from Israel. This shift from inclusivity to open hostility is troubling, especially given that universities have traditionally been places where safety and non-discrimination have been prioritized. University leaders should enforce campus codes and speak out strongly against discrimination. Students should take care of their own education. Thanks to services like https://ca.papersowl.com/edit-my-essay, you can improve your grades! Ignoring these issues only encourages hostility, jeopardizing the very values of equality and respect that Canadian institutions uphold.
If the subject wasn’t so serious your comment would be great satire.
There has been unprecedented hostility, harrassment and attacks against non violent student protests on campuses across america, by zionists, university administration, and cops. Actions at a level rarely seen during anti vietnam protests.
Jews aren’t becoming hated and despised because they are jews. Some courageous jews standing against zionism are greatly respected and lauded. However those that support israel’s war crimes, whether jewish zionists or non jewish zionist pawns are not respected. Their duplicity of playing victim cards while supporting genocide and other atrocities is appalling.
It’s a sick joke that you whine about hostility and equality on canadian campuses, while supporting the evil war crimes of the state of israel.
Ignoring the generations long illegal occupations, land theft, brutalization, torture, incarceration, rape, assassination and other monstrous deeds carried out by israel is contrary to any decent human values. All students and others that are standing up against this are to be applauded.
“However those that support israel’s war crimes, whether jewish zionists or non jewish zionist pawns are not respected.”
I agree with most of your post but I think this is not an accurate description of non Jewish Zionists. Western imperialists are not being manipulated but have always loved having a thuggish state in the region and have hardly been pawns-in some ways the complete opposite relationship exists in my opinion. I also believe in the long term Israelis would have a safer more secure life and better relations with their neighbours and the Indigneous population if they weren’t playing the role of the West’s strongman.
There are other reasons why there is so much non-Jewish support for Israel in the West including anti-Arab racism, Christian fundamentalism, and perhaps most pervasive of all those who just enjoy seeing Western military power projected upon the ‘other’.