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Criticism of anti-Semitism resolution misses the mark


Last week, Queen’s University professor Cynthia Levine-Rasky warned in NOW against the Government of Canada’s recent move to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

The main thrust of Levine-Rasky’s criticism is that the IHRA definition may be used to suppress criticism of Israel. This misconception could be dispelled by simply reading the definition, which clearly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

As alluded to by Levine-Rasky, the IHRA definition has been adopted or endorsed by the European Parliament, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, among other countries and institutions. There is no evidence to suggest that criticism of the Jewish state has been banned in those places, and to insinuate that this could happen in Canada is an exaggeration.

Rather, the critical contribution of the IHRA definition and its illustrative examples is to clarify that attempting to cloak anti-Semitic rhetoric or actions with terms like “Israel” or “Zionism” will not result in an automatic free pass.

While not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, the denial of any connection between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism is equally specious.

Just two weeks ago, for example, B’nai Brith Canada drew attention to a B.C. man who threatened on Facebook to “kill as many Zionazi Terrorists… as I can.”

The neologism “Zionazi” is a portmanteau of the words “Zionist” and “Nazi.” Comparing Israel and its supporters to Nazi Germany is anti-Semitic.

Indeed, a closer look at the B.C. man’s online profile suggests that his threats, which eventually escalated into a self-proclaimed desire to “kill an entire Zionazi Jewish family,” stemmed from his fanatical hatred of Israel and its policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians.

This is the key difference between criticism of countries like China, India or Brazil over their human rights records, as referenced by Levine-Rasky, and criticism of Israel. No one calls for Brazilians, Indians or Chinese people in Canada to be killed or otherwise punished for the alleged shortcomings of their homelands.

By the same token, no one in Canada calls for China, India or Brazil or any other country to be subjected to a total economic, academic and cultural boycott on account of its foreign policy. Israel, by virtue of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, is singled out for that treatment.

The IHRA is correct to flag such behaviour as a form of anti-Semitism.

Moreover, Levine-Rasky’s suggestion that the IHRA’s definition is being pushed by “American Christian fundamentalists” to “mobilize an insidious Islamophobia,” is bewildering. Here in Canada, the only groups advocating for the adoption of the IHRA definition have been Canadian Jewish organizations, led by B’nai Brith Canada.

Fighting hatred is not a zero-sum game. It is illogical to assert that defining and combatting anti-Semitism somehow targets Muslims, unless it is being claimed that Muslims are responsible for most of the anti-Semitism in Canada, which itself would be an anti-Muslim claim. The adoption of the IHRA definition is a blow against anti-Semitism in general, from the far-right to the far-left and everywhere in between.

Last year, our Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents recorded 2,041 anti-Jewish occurrences in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Canadian Jews have been the most targeted group for hate crimes in this country for three years in a row. Police-reported hate crimes targeting Jews accounted for 19 per cent of all hate crimes in Canada in 2018.

Anti-Semitism in this country must be combatted. The federal government’s adoption of the IHRA definition as part of broader effort against racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination is a logical step forward in that process. 

Michael Mostyn is the chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada.

@nowtoronto

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