From California grapes to South African oranges to Montgomery’s buses – boycotts are a respected tradition in America as a non violent way to promote change. The right to promote a boycott is protected by the US constitution which protects freedom of speech. But what about BDS – the movement to boycott Israel? Attempts to make it illegal have prompted a growing debate in the US over freedom of speech. Read more. (more…)
Happy Jewish refugees on board the MS St. Louis in 1939, still hoping to escape the Holocaust. But at a time when anti-Semitism was widespread, they were refused entry to Canada. Many ended up murdered in concentration camps. While no longer rampant in Canada, anti-Semitism still exists and should be opposed by everyone. But what is anti-Semitism, exactly? CTIP offers a definition. Read more. (more…)
Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), a Jewish group dedicated to defending human rights for Palestinians, celebrated its 10th anniversary last weekend (Oct. 12-14) in Toronto. Over 180 Jews (and a few non-Jewish supporters and observers) from across Canada heard outstanding speakers and participated in action-planning workshops. Read a summary report from CTIP guest columnist Diana Ralph. (more…)
Any Canadian who tries to defend human rights for Palestinians knows that they run the risk of being called “anti-Semitic”. But when Prime Minister Trudeau (l) called out Dimitri Lascaris (r) a well known Palestinian human rights activist, accusing him of “vile anti-Semitic smears” a lot of people took notice. Is Lascaris guilty as charged, or is he being unfairly smeared by the Prime Minister? Read more.
Prime Minister Trudeau at the opening of Canada’s Holocaust Memorial, 2017. Are Jewish Israeli fears about a new Holocaust real, or are they only an excuse to keep on oppressing Palestinians? Canadian Palestinian Monzer Zimmo thinks that human rights activists interested in bringing an end to the Israel/Palestine conflict need to think carefully about Jewish fears and how to deal with them. Read more. (more…)
