Antisemitism in Canada digest #20: continued

People often say “I hate politics”, “politics is dirty”, or “I’m not interested in politics”. Politics is like hygiene. I’m not a huge fan of brushing my teeth and flossing, but the consequences of not doing it are far worse. Same with politics.

1. I am a very lazy person, and I always look for ways to make an impact with the least possible amount of effort. This is why I donate blood, vote in all elections, and sign petitions. Petitions are the least effort of all, and here are a couple important ones to sign: petition and another petition.

2. Too many politicians say all the familiar words put in grammatically correct sentences, while the meaning of the entire speech remains unclear. But there are others, who actually say meaningful and powerful words, and these are the ones I value. I can name quite a few off the top of my head, and Kevin Vuong, MP, is one of them.

He has been a strong vocal supporter of our community since October (probably even before, but I’m guilty of not being “interested in politics” back then). This past week he tabled a petition to finally call the genocidal chants for what they really are. “From the river to the sea” is not a tribute to the pretty nature, it is a call for annihilation of the state of Israel. “Long live October 7” isn’t any better.
Supporting the Jewish community isn’t the most risk-free position to hold in today’s Canada. Kevin and even his wife are being targeted and intimidated.

3. Other elected officials are being targeted too. The office of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani has been vandalized. This is not the first time Arif Virani is being targeted, but I’m yet to find a single pro-Israel thing he has said, written or done. Sometimes I suspect the pro-Hamas crowds target people randomly as an intimidation tactic.

The fact that Julie Dzerowicz MP’s office was vandalized too, proves my point. I haven’t researched her activity in detail, but she is a Liberal MP who voted for the anti-Israel motion in the parliament and called for a ceasefire on her social media. The graffiti on her office said “Rafah is burning, Toronto will too.”

4. Yaara Saks is a Canadian MP, and she is Jewish and also Israeli. It was in her district where a Jewish boy has been bullied in school since October and an entire Jewish community walked him to school to show support. She did not show up. There was another large Jewish rally following the shooting at a girls-only Jewish school in Toronto, and she didn’t show up either. 

They say: “don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed”. I expected nothing from Yaara Saks after her visit to Ramallah earlier this year, where she hugged Mahmoud Abbas. And yet I am disappointed. 

5. Remember the petition opposing mandatory Nakba education in BC schools? I sent this petition to the BC Minister of Education, Rachna Singh. 

This is what her husband wrote on October 11 in his first tweet after October 7: “To all Canadian politicians who are so outraged by Hamas attack on Israel, when will you stand up for the people of Palestine, an occupied territory? Address the root cause if you really want peace rather than blaming the victims. #FreePalestine.” He started accusing Israel of genocide back in October, and hasn’t stopped reposting Samidoun and BDS content ever since. Can we expect his wife to make an objective, fair, not politically motivated decision on the Nakba education petition?

6. Follow the money. Following the money proves what we’ve always suspected. The encampments and other radical anti-Israel activities aren’t grassroots. They are orchestrated and well-funded. SJP (in the US) and SPHR (in Canada) receive funding from AMP (American Muslims for Palestine), who, in turn, have substantial ties to Hamas via its financial sponsor, Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, Inc.

The investigation also finds that many of the anti-Israel protests are funded by the same donors who support the Democratic party in the US. The same donors also seem to be supporting the antisemitic Jews – JVP (Jewish Voices for Peace), and likely their Canadian version, IJV (Independent Jewish Voices).

The article suggests that Canadian organizations risk losing their charitable status if they “further terrorism.” Common sense screams that organizations that “further terrorism” should be dispersed and their management should be imprisoned. But what do I know about charity?

7. There is a proposal to add APR (Anti Palestinian racism) to the Canadian Anti-Racism Strategy. This is wrong on so many levels. Palestinians are not a race. There is no mention of Syrians, Nigerians or Italians in the Anti-Racism strategy. Why do Palestinians always receive special treatment? 

Even more importantly, this proposal attempts to legislate truth as illegal. APR is to include “..denying the Nakba… and failing to acknowledge Palestinians as Indigenous people with collective belonging and rights in relation to occupied historic Palestine…”

Palestinians are not Indigenous. They are Arabs who migrated from Arabia, or later from Egypt and Syria. “Historic Palestine” is a British, Ottoman, Mamluk, various Muslim Caliphates, Byzantine, and Roman colony.

Canada has some imperfect laws already, but legislating a ban on truth will be a new disgraceful page in Canadian history. 

Politics never stays inside the Parliament. If politics is done well, it goes unnoticed. It is when it spills out to the streets, you know, this is politics done poorly. Here is what one finds on Canadian streets these days:

8. Anti-Israel protesters took over Union train station in Toronto. For people opposing occupation, they sure don’t mind occupying public spaces in the West. What’s more weird, there is not a single mention of this in any of the mainstream media. Is paralyzing the largest Canadian railway station, that connects the city of Toronto to Pearson airport, the busiest Canadian airport not an important event? Or does mainstream media avoid portraying the anti-Israel crowd as the barbaric anarchist mob they are, by all means necessary?

9. In Toronto, Jonathan Szeftel was arrested and charged for throwing a rock at a synagogue. Yes, “Szeftel” sounds like a Jewish name, and if he is, in fact, Jewish, the only thing it proves is that there are hateful antisemitic Jews. One important thing to note is that if his name was, for example, “Mohammad Ahmad”, the media reports would not have named him.

10. I grew up in the Soviet Union and I am way too familiar with modern Russian realities, so my fear of authorities and especially law enforcement is almost an instinct. It took a decade and a personal acquaintance with several friendly police officers to overcome personal traumas and acquire respect and sympathy for the local police. 

It is painful for me to watch the American and the Canadian police officers being humiliated by the pro-Hamas protesters. I’m cautiously relieved to see our police finally starting to stand their ground and resisting the aggressive conduct directed at them.

11. Pro-Hamas mobs walk the suburban streets of Toronto to harass and intimidate Jewish residents. On a different occasion, Muslim mothers with their Muslim kids take a walk in the park with swastikas in a Jewish neighborhood in Toronto. I fear these families. Does it make me Islamophobic? No, because phobia is irrational fear. My fear is rational; it is a self-preservation instinct.

12. Reminder to everyone who calls the anti-Israel protesters – “pro-Palestinian”. These are the exact same people who celebrated the October 7 Hamas attack. On October 8, one of the Israel-haters instagram accounts in Montreal wrote: "Last night the resistance in Gaza led a heroic attack against the occupation and has taken over 30 hostages…  We call on our people in Montreal and in the far diaspora to celebrate the resistance's success, to uplift their calls and to march this Sunday Oct 8…" 

The post features an image of the "innocent Gazan civilians" taking part in and celebrating the torture and the massacre. The people who post it don’t support Palestinians living and thriving; they support Palestinians massacring Israelis.

13. It is still not so accepted to spread blood libels about Jews. Zionists however are considered a fair target for any accusation whatsoever. No accountability, no repercussions. This poster listing the numerous buzzwords was seen in White Rock, BC. 

14. The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival apologized for removing the Israeli-Canadian artist. They have not asked the artist to be part of the Festival again however. The apology is very vaguely phrased, suggesting the Festival is worried either about a lawsuit or about losing donors. 

15. This Sunday, June 9th Toronto and Vancouver marched for Israel. Of course, we cannot compete with the Toronto numbers, their march is absolutely enormous, but we have prettier scenery. The Vancouver Bridges march was a huge success and I cannot wait for our next one: 

Times are tough. Times are dark. But it brightens up a little when many of us come together!