I hear a lot of apologizing today. A lot of people who are made to feel ashamed of themselves and their identities. A lot of people who are being silenced based not on what they say, but who they are. I've seen people who accept the role assigned to them as some sort of enemy based on what they look like or what they believe in. People who apologize for their own existence.
I’m not one of those people. I do not apologize for being white. I do not apologize for having red hair, either. And I sure won’t apologize for being Jewish. Nor will I remain silent while the cloud of anti-Semitism looms darker by the day.
Instead of listing the daily occurrences of anti-Semitic attacks in France, England and North America, I will single out two events that happened during the last couple of weeks in Canada where I live. They speak to a larger issue at hand. These are not isolated incidents. They are indicative of the current political climate in Canada, and other parts of the world as well. This is the frightening new normal.
Instead of generating intellectual discourse, university campuses have become a breeding ground for hatred and thought control. At McGill University it has been outlawed by the school paper to publish any pro-Zionist content whatsoever. This has been passed and enforced under the guise that any pro-Zionist speech is “hate speech”. A university, a supposed place for higher education that values free exchange of ideas, has effectively silenced an entire group of people.
I don’t care what you stand for, this is anti-democratic and threatens all of us. The point isn’t that no one is allowed to disagree with Israel (or Judaism for that matter). Go right ahead and disagree. But don’t forcefully break up a lecture being given by a veteran of the Israeli army while hurling anti-Semitic slogans and death threats under the guise of ‘social justice.' This is what happened last week on the York U campus where a pro-Israel group had their event shut down by a protest from an anti-Israel group called SAIA (Students against Israeli apartheid) which quickly resulted in violence, anti-Semitic slogans and death threats.
If students are being bullied, belittled and denied their own voice, then the future is looking pretty bleak. Censorship and physical violence have no place in any democratic institution.
This has nothing to do with me being Jewish. This has nothing to do with me being pro-Israel. This is about hatred and censorship. No group deserves to be bullied into silence. No group deserves violence against them.
I'm standing for what’s right. I'm standing for truth. And if that makes me the enemy, then so be it. I will not apologize for that.
I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with Israeli politics. I find many of Israel’s decisions to be questionable at best. My problem here is with extremism. Many people who are opposing Israel on today’s campuses aren’t doing it from a place of intellectual disagreement; they are espousing hatred that seeks to eliminate Israel, not merely change it.
As the memory of the Holocaust fades and anti-Semitic attacks increase, education becomes more important. The media and educational facilities must do their part by allowing both Jewish and Zionist voices to be heard. While we continuously fight for things like racial and gender equality, and social justice as a whole, we need to remember that the Jews have a place in that equation.
And as Jews, we must speak out against anti-Semitism wherever it occurs.
(10) Janice Rotman, December 5, 2019 7:45 PM
Very well said, sad and as if written in an Orwellian world.
I used to be a proud Canadian living in and passionately teaching adult new immigrants about the open, cultural mosaic in which we lived. To even have considered apologizing about any aspect of my identity was unthinkable just nine years ago before I came to Israel on Aliyah was unthinkable. Reading this article makes me so sad. Apparently things have changed in a relative flash not just in my (still) beloved Canada but throughout the world. What do we call a time when the quick tinder ugliness of racism starts a flash (apparently unquenchable) fire? Orwellian? Dystopian? Dysfunctional? I have to say it. Regardless of all of Israel’s warts (and there are many) I am grateful every day that I and my children and grandchildren live here.
(9) Mario Zamora, December 4, 2019 11:51 AM
Who’s apologizing?
Not even during the Holocaust Jews apologized. Why would they? No one is apologizing, what is all this about?
(8) Adee Ifergan, December 2, 2019 8:31 PM
This is amazing and very well written. I hope this brings attention to a large audience. What happened at York was completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
(7) Anonymous, December 2, 2019 6:40 PM
The Need for Intellectual Discourse
There definitely is a need for calm intellectual discourse when it comes to polarizing topics. If tolerance means accepting persons of different ethnic/racial, national, religious and social backgrounds, its safe to assume that with this diversity also comes diversity of thought. I'm a black, Jamaican Seventh-day Adventist. By virtue of being black my views may differ from someone who is white. By virtue of being Caribbean, my views may differ from someone who is Nigerian. By virtue of being Seventh-Day Adventist my views may differ from someone who is Lutheran. Espousing principles of tolerance and diversity is only surface level if persons are only willing to tolerate how they look, and not what they say or how they think. It is impossible for divergent cultures to all have the same beliefs, spiritually, socially and politically.
(6) Dina Barten, December 2, 2019 4:52 PM
Hatred
I feel things are going wrong as to antisemitism all over the world. Let us do everything in our power to fight this.
(5) MM, December 2, 2019 4:19 PM
Modern secular Zionism
no Jews prior to modern times ever anticipated an ingathering of the exiles that would occur without the appearance of a messiah and would result in the establishment of a state in which halakha was not the law of the land. Modern secular Zionism isn't even rabbinical.
Regina, December 2, 2019 11:16 PM
What's your point?
Are you suggesting we turn out backs on our brothers and sister in Eretz Yisroel? I've got news for you - no matter how you spin it, they are ON THE FRONT LINES FOR ALL OF US JEWS AROUND THE WORLD.
Zionist or not, they deserve 110% of our support and appreciation.
AM YISROEL CHAI.
(4) Regina, December 1, 2019 9:47 PM
How REFRESHING - and INSPIRING!
Matt, well said and your article deserves WIDE DISTRIBUTION.
I am an alumna of McGill and am distressed to see that, like so many other
excellent universities, administrators and students are yielding to the lying voices of the Jew-haters. Fighting back wherever and whenever possible is essential, as is educating people as to the FACTS about Israel. I encourage people to go to Israel and SEE FOR THEMSELVES - arab families in supermarkets pushing carts that are overflowing with food, arab women shopping in the same clothing shops as Jewish women (and plenty of them are quite well-dressed, indicating that they aren't impoverished). The fact is that, if they weren't afraid for their lives, many Israeli arabs would support Israel out loud.
Whenever I am in Israel and I meet people from other countries, I ask them how they like it and the responses are consistently enthusiastic. This includes Christians as well as various people who have come to Israel to work and/or study. I ask them, each and every one, to do me a favor and
TELL EVERYONE THEY KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL.
Keep up the good work, Matt - AM YISROEL CHAI!
(3) Joel Elveson, December 1, 2019 6:38 PM
My Opinion
Matt, I wholeheartedly agree with you on all of your points except when it comes to Israel's decisions which seem to cause upticks in anti-Semitic activity. No other state is attacked in multiple ways as Israel is. The lands Israel is planning to annex belong to Israel. Certainly, Israel has the right to build on its own land. This has been reaffirmed by our great friend President Trump. Whatever Israel does will be condemned even though 99.9% of the time Israel has every right to do what it did. The fact of the matter is those who are anti-Israel most of the time are anti-Jewish. The two seem to go hand in hand. We need to stand behind Israel in its struggle to survive as a Jewish Stae which by the way is a huge inspiration for those who hate Jews because of that. Israel is a peace-loving nation who has contributed so much to the world in terms of medicine, agriculture, technology, etc. Yet conveniently that is overlooked because it comes from the Jewish State. I will reiterate how important it is for Jews here in America to strongly stand by Israel instead of joining the choruses of criticism. The population that hates Israel and hates Jews loves when Jews criticize Israel as it gives them the legitimacy they need to carry on with their hateful agenda.
(2) Zamira Rajchgod, December 1, 2019 6:16 PM
What of Israeli's decisions are questionable to you?
I found your message interesting & most of it positive. Except for one sentence, "I find many of Israel’s decisions to be questionable at best." Have any example to educate me so I can understand you better? what decision?
(1) Nancy, December 1, 2019 10:09 AM
Censorship on campus
The anti Semitism on today's college campuses is VERY upsetting. People have a very distorted notion of Israel, and your article is a breath of fresh air.
Matt Render, December 1, 2019 5:16 PM
Thank you for reading it and for the kind words, Nancy.
I agree, it is upsetting. I was a student at York not long ago and it wasn't like this. It seems that over the last year, the problem as gone to new extremes. I hate to admit how alarming it really has become. I was never involved with this topic, but with the way things are going, it seems we have no choice but to get involved and to do something about it.
Rachel, December 1, 2019 7:26 PM
Freedom of speech in Canada
I am curious: is McGill ir York publically funded by Canadian or provincial government? And if so, does the Canadian constitution guarantee free speech on public campuses?
In the US, there are clear constitutional guarantees. That’s not to say that students don’t break them, and a completely private institution may do as it pleases, for reasons that should be obvious. (A rabbinic program has every right to refuse a speaker proselytizing for another religion, for example.)
I know Canada generally has a better history in this regard than the US, but women have always faced discrimination for who we are, as have French Catholics and First Nations. So I hope these experiences have given you insight into what other marginalized groups have faced.
Finally— doesn’t anyone go to class anymore? How will one’s knowledge of chemistry, Shakespeare, or anything else studied in university be advanced by going to presentations of this type? International relations majors excepted.
Alan S., December 1, 2019 8:18 PM
Well said Rachel...
Jewish alumni of these institutions (current sympathetic students and admins need to be institutionalized!) should make certain to let their voices and dollars be heard loudly and forcefully.
No, it likely won't change things, but these Jewish alumni would be meritorious in the mitzvah of a kiddush Hashem in trying to prevent a chilul Hashem.
Nancy, December 2, 2019 1:06 AM
To commenter Alan S.
Re: Withdrawing financial support from the offending educational institutions. You mentioned it likely will not change things, but I wonder about that. A famous lyricist once wrote that money makes the world go round, and I believe that to be true. I would love to see what would happen if Jewish alumni of these institutions withheld their support.
Dvirah, December 2, 2019 12:40 PM
Why It Won't Work
Unfortunately, our enemies have plenty of money and will no doubt make up the lack. And having become "he who pays the piper" they will continue to call the hateful tune.
Anonymous, December 2, 2019 11:19 PM
But we should STILL stop $upporting them
If only this was a unanimous Jewish response!!
Tragically, too many Jews simply don't get it - or WANT to get it.
AM YISROEL CHAI!
Dvirah, December 3, 2019 9:12 AM
Agree
You are correct.
Anonymous, December 2, 2019 1:19 PM
Terrible
There are calls for a Jewish student to step down from a position in student government at that University in Canada, because she signed on to a trip to Israel through Hillel. A pro-Palestinian group is claiming it is a conflict of interest for her to continue to serve. She is refusing, and they are threatening to remove her from her office. I don't understand how things got this way.