A School Visit for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

On March 21, I was invited for the second time as a guest speaker for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21 at Balwin School in north Edmonton. My talk was very similar to the one I gave last year, focussing on anti-bullying, anti-Semitism, and activism.

This year, I added am emphasis on calling out and stopping racist and prejudicial comments immediately, to prevent them from becoming normalized and becoming the start of a path of hatred. We've seen what unchecked hatred can do with the recent terrorist attack at the mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, and at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh last year.

Some of the young people in the multiracial class shared their experiences encountering racism, but also asked me a lot of questions about being Jewish, mostly about cultural and religious practices. I was apparently the first person most of them had ever met who self-identified as being Jewish. Even their teacher and the student teacher were asking me questions.

Opportunities like this are really important because these young people now could put a face and name to the word "Jewish." Much racism and prejudice often comes from fear of the "other." Now, a Jewish person is no longer an "other" to them. When we get to meet people from different backgrounds, and we sincerely seek to learn about their lives and traditions, it helps to build intercultural understanding, peace, and harmony in our society.

#HateFreeYEG Lanches

#HateFreeYEG is a new grassroots community initiative to work towards eradicating Edmonton of hate and racism. The initiative launched on September 30, and I was asked to speak at the launch as a community organizer about how we can eliminate hate, as well as my own experiences with anti-Semitism. Here is a video of my talk, as well as my notes.

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Shalom and thank you for inviting me to speak this afternoon and to join my voice with all of us here who proclaim that hate is not welcome in Edmonton. I am with the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism and the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education. I am also a Jewish woman.

As a Jewish woman, the growing resurgence of ultra right-wing hate groups concerns me greatly. My own community has been affected recently, with swastikas being spray painted on buildings in several southwest neighbourhoods. It stands to reason that the same kinds of people who would express hate towards immigrants, Muslims, and people of colour are the same kinds of people who would be anti-Jewish. Also, as a Jew I feel a need to stand up against hatred because of my roots and my faith. Many Jewish people of my generation are the descendants of immigrants and refugees. I am also vigilant against Islamophobia not only because hatred is just plain wrong, but also because of the shared Abrahamic roots of our faiths.

In fact, my commitment to social justice and human rights stems largely from my Jewish background. In Judaism, there is a value called tikkun olam, which translates to healing or repairing the world. We all have that potential within us, regardless of our background, to make the world a better place. It doesn't have to be through grand gestures or high-profile acts – every day, we all have opportunities to make the world around us safer, and to fill it with more compassion, hope, and love.

At various times in my life I have had experiences with anti-Semitism. It's often been a subtle undercurrent, sometimes taking the form of jokes or comments perpetuating various stereotypes like being cheap, or being part of some kind of power conspiracy. Anti-Semitism has sometimes crossed over into sentiments that are misogynist, like body shaming, or calling a Jewish woman a nag, or the ubiquitous Jewish mother jokes. I've been told at times I don't “look” Jewish, as though that is a compliment. It isn't. Some anti-Semitism I have faced or witnessed also crosses a line into been ableist, like being referred to as neurotic or controlling – attributing to one's culture symptoms of mental illness which may or may not actually be real. After all, you don't always know what someone might be struggling with.

I recall when I was accosted by a man on an isolated street in the inner city. He had seen my Star of David around my neck, and thought it was appropriate to stop me – a complete stranger – and ask if I was Jewish. I said yes, keeping a wide physical distance from this person. He then proceeded to interrogate me, asking where I was from, and not accepting Edmonton as the answer. He finally backed off when I gave him some general response about my distant Eastern European heritage. After that experience, I have found myself feeling defensive when someone asks about my choice of jewelry. I enjoy meeting new people and talking about myself and learning about them, but being “othered” time and time again can sometimes make a person overly sensitive to inquiries about their background, which is unfortunate because having conversations about ourselves can lead to greater understanding.

Planting the seeds against racism and hate need to start early. We also all know that kid from school who was always being picked on, pushed around, made fun of, teased, beaten up, and pushed around some more. I know – because I was that kid. I believe that a lot of my values towards kindness, love, and being against racism and hate comes from the fact that I was badly bullied as a child and teenager and I don't want to see that happen to anyone. When we see bullying, when we see people being made fun of because they are somehow different, when we see hatred in our midst we have an obligation to stand up, intervene and say that this is wrong.

In closing, I also wanted to say that I am a board member with the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action, and what we do is to seek to achieve peace and harmony and an end to racism in the world through teaching about different faiths, not from a religious point of view, but from an educational one. I encourage you to look us up and see what we have to offer, and to become a member and get involved.

Actions Have Consequences

The Jerusalem Post published a very gutsy article today. In it, writer Larry Derfner accurately points out how the actions of Israel have fueled anti-Semitism. He does not condone such actions, but draws the very obvious connections between oppression and acting out against the oppressors. The "talkbacks" are very interesting to read as well. Of course, Derfner is now being accused by some of being a "self-hating Jew."

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Rattling the Cage: Provoking anti-Semitism

02.26.2009 | The Jerusalem Post
By LARRY DERFNER

First we left the Gaza Strip in bloodied ruins. Then we raised up a politician who, with his appeal to racism, militarism, fear of alien "subversives" and the yearning for a strong leader, fits the classic, textbook definition of a fascist.

And now, what is the talking point for our hasbara (spin) campaign? The surge in global anti-Semitism.

It's hard to avoid the impression that for the champions of Israel Right or Wrong, the surge in global anti-Semitism - which is real enough - came as a godsend. Finally, Israel and its lobbyists could get off the defensive about civilian casualties, white phosphorous and Avigdor Lieberman, and go on the offensive against synagogue firebombings, chanting mobs and boycotts.

I'm not saying Israel and its cheerleaders are happy that Jews are coming under increasing attack in Europe and elsewhere. Environmentalists aren't happy about oil spills - but oil spills are a godsend for their cause. I'm saying that the chorus of condemnations of anti-Semitism from Israelis and pro-Israel nationalists has a dual purpose - to fight anti-Semitism, which is good, and to neutralize criticism of Operation Cast Lead and the spread of Israeli fascism, which is cynical and morally deadening.

THE CLAIM we hear is that anti-Semitism today is worse than it's been since the 1930s. That may be true, but it overlooks one little thing that's different about the Jews of today compared to those of the 1930s: power. The Jews back then had none, or at least none that could protect them, while Israel, the focus of today's rise in anti-Semitism, has awesome power. Incomparably more power than its enemies have, including the anti-Semites, who are legion.

In the 1930s, Jews didn't do anything to provoke anti-Semitism. They were weak while their persecutors were strong. But today? Today's surge in anti-Semitism began with a war in which the Jewish state killed its enemies at a ratio of 100-to-1, then made a political giant out of a former bouncer whose campaign slogan was "Only Lieberman understands Arabic."

To compare Israel's predicament today with that of the Jews of the 1930s is disingenuous in the extreme. Today's rise in anti-Semitism was provoked not by Israel's weakness, but by its abuses of power, first against the Gazans, then against Israeli Arabs. The difference is night and day.

It's also disingenuous to imply, as hasbara does, that the entire wave of anti-Israel sentiment in the world is tainted by anti-Semitism. (To pro-Israel lobbyists, it's fair and acceptable to acknowledge that Israel is not perfect. Anything beyond that is suspect.) There's a great deal of moral outrage at Israel, some of it fair, some of it not. On the far side of the unfair is the anti-Semitic.

In the 1930s, only anti-Semites were incensed at Jews. Today, while there are certainly masses of anti-Semites who are incensed at Israel, they're not alone. Today the world is filled with people who are not anti-Semites yet who are incensed at the things this country has been doing. Lots of them, myself included, are Jews.

I UNDERSTAND very well that Israel is by no means to blame for most of the anti-Semitism in the world. We are not to blame for Islamic fundamentalism, or the irrational Third World Left, or the age-old anti-Jewish instincts of much of Europe and Latin America. No matter how good, how fair we are to the Arabs, the reservoirs of anti-Semitism in the world are not going to dry up.

But since this country's actions were responsible for the recent surge in the level of those reservoirs, I think there's a way of at least bringing that level down, a way that might work as well if not better than stepping up the hasbara: Let's stop fighting immoral wars. Let's stop laying siege to a tiny, destitute country. (That might stop Gazans from firing rockets at us, too.) Let's stop holding 10,000 Palestinian prisoners. (That might also help us get Gilad Schalit back.)

And finally, let's stop electing fascists to the Knesset. And if this is too much to ask of ourselves, let's at least have the decency not to bring them into the government. And if even that's beyond us, if we're going to have fascists as cabinet ministers, if we go so far as to have one for finance minister or foreign minister, then let's not complain about the next surge in global anti-Semitism, because we will have provoked that one, too.

This is not the 1930s. We, the nation of Israel, are far from being powerless, and we are far from being innocent.

Without a Jewish State - More 'New' Anti-Semitism

My father asked me to read this article from The Jerusalem Post. Of course, I can't say no to my father (dutiful daughter that I am), so I did.

Making the world 'Judenstaatrein'
Feb. 22, 2009
IRWIN COTLER , THE JERUSALEM POST

Naturally, I have some reactions. The article, in a nutshell, basically sees Irwin Cotler, a Canadian MP and pro-Israel advocate, equate the "new" anti-Semitism with anti-Israel attitudes. Nothing really "new" about that. Hoes does "new" and "old" anti-Semitism compare? In Cotler's words:

In a word, classical or traditional anti-Semitism is the discrimination against, denial of or assault upon the rights of Jews to live as equal members of whatever host society they inhabit. The new anti-Semitism involves the discrimination against the right of the Jewish people to live as an equal member of the family of nations - the denial of and assault upon the Jewish people's right even to live - with Israel as the "collective Jew among the nations."

The curious thing here, is that the Jewish people have a nation. Israel exists. It is a UN-recognized country. As a Jewish leftist, I believe Israel has a right to exist. The conflict between Israel and Palestine can be solved with a two-state solution, with strong, non-extremist leadership for both peoples. One state would never work. Sixty years of history can't just be magically erased. Yes, there are factions on the Palestinian side that would happily see Israel no longer exist. But Israel is not innocent either. By continually defying UN resolutions, engaging in human rights violations (such as what goes on at the checkpoints), and putting its military might to supposedly strategically get rid of "terrorists" while killing hundreds, sometimes thousands of women and children in the process -- isn't there bigotry and hatred in that?

But the rise in traditional anti-Semitism is bound up with the rise in the new anti-Semitism, insidiously buoyed by a climate receptive to attacks on Jews because of the attacks on the Jewish state. Indeed, reports illustrate both an upsurge in violence and related anti-Semitic crimes corresponding with the 2006 Second Lebanon War and the recent Israel-Hamas war, which delegates to the ICCA conference characterized as a "pandemic."

Any acts of violence or vandalism against Jewish people and institutions (like synagogues) is wrong. But I disagree that the cause of these attacks are the "attacks on the Jewish state." Instead, they are angry, inappropriate reactions to how Israel is treating the Palestinian population. The behaviour of the Israeli government has done more to fuel anti-Semitism than leftists ever could.

Cotler also discusses two very common comparisons used to describe Israel, especially by people who are anti-racist and pro-peace: that of Israel being a state that espouses apartheid and Nazi values.

And so it is then that Israel is delegitimized, if not demonized, by the ascription to it of the two most scurrilous indictments of 20th-century racism - Nazism and apartheid - the embodiment of all evil. These very labels of Zionism and Israel as "racist, apartheid and Nazi" supply the criminal indictment. No further debate is required. The conviction that this triple racism warrants the dismantling of Israel as a moral obligation has been secured. For who would deny that a "racist, apartheid, Nazi" state should not have any right to exist today? What is more, this characterization allows for terrorist "resistance" to be deemed justifiable - after all, such a situation is portrayed as nothing other than occupation et résistance, where resistance against a racist, apartheid, Nazi occupying state is legitimate, if not mandatory.

Let's see now -- Palestinians have been forced into camps that are separated by a wall . . . this has happened before in history, hasn't it? And there is a different set of rules for people who are Palestinian, as opposed to Israeli - checkpoints, harassment, restrictions. But let's not use such harsh terms as "Nazi" and "apartheid." It may offend someone.

How ironic it is that a group of people who have used the Holocaust to justify the need for Israel, then turn around and become the oppressors. Then, for people like Cotler to say that being upset towards Israel for this behaviour equates hatred of all Jews everywhere, because of course Israel is a Jewish state. Please - not in my name. While I am sure there are people who hate me for who I am no matter what I stand for, as a Jewish person who espouses values of dignity, human rights, and freedom for all people I am not going to pander to extremists and justify all Israel does simply because it is a "Jewish state."

Now, This is Anti-Semitism

Canada native leader cleared in second hate trial

My comments: If Ahenakew did not actively intend to promote hatred, what exactly was he trying to do? Gee, does this mean he can have his Order of Canada returned? I hate to admit this, but I agree with the CJC - hopefully he now knows what kind of damage such speech can do. His comments have been hurtful to both Jews and Aboriginals, causing deep shame and possibly damaging relations between the two groups.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian native Indian leader who called Jews a "disease" was found not guilty on Monday of willfully promoting hatred, although the judge said the comments were "revolting, disgusting and untrue", the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The trial was the second for David Ahenakew, 75, who told a local newspaper in the western province of Saskatchewan that Jews were a "disease" that Hitler was trying to "clean up" when he "fried six million of those guys".

Saskatchewan provincial court Judge Wilfred Tucker ruled that prosecutors had not proven that Ahenakew -- who made the remarks in a conversation with a reporter -- actively intended to promote hatred.

"Thank God it's over, and I mean that," the CBC quoted Ahenakew as telling reporters as he left the courthouse. "It's been awful."

Ahenakew, the former head of the Assembly of First Nations, was convicted of hate crimes in 2005 and successfully appealed the decision in 2006. He was fined C$1,000 ($800) after his initial conviction and stripped of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor.

During the second trial, Ahenakew told the court that he believed Jews had caused World War Two.

The Canadian Jewish Congress said in a statement it hoped Ahenakew "has come to understand the pain he has caused. We urge Mr. Ahenakew to make amends so he can be remembered for healing rather than for hurting".

($1=$1.25 Canadian)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Rob Wilson)