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…)
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…)
“Zionism is an infinite ideal” proclaims a huge poster at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. Perhaps that is true for some, but at what cost? After weeks of debate, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) approved a controversial piece of legislation which enshrines in law the superior status of Jews over others inside the State of Israel. Liberal democrats around the world, including progressive Canadian Jews who hold to the notion of equality, are expressing extreme discomfort. Read more…
In a public interview last April in Toronto, famed Israeli author David Grossman (r.) lamented to CBC’s Michael Enright: “Israel is a fortress, but not yet a home”. A Palestinian Canadian, whose parents were expelled from Mandate Palestine in 1948, suggests that Jews in Israel can only feel at “home” when Israel acknowledges the refugees’ tragedy it created in 1947/48 and accepts equality. Read more… (more…)
Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 