Let’s keep our eyes focused on what anti-Semitism really is
Re Taking a stand against anti-Semitism, Opinion, Nov. 3 In his article praising the adoption by the Ontario Legislature of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA WDA), Michael Levitt misrepresents a controversial and widely debated document as an unchallengeable measure to combat hate and discrimination.
In fact, the IHRA WDA has been widely questioned by many who value freedom of speech, academic freedom and the right to protest.
The document has been used to attack and even prosecute those who criticize Israel for its decades-long denial of Palestinian human rights, and has been deemed “one of the most contentious documents in the history of efforts to combat anti-Semitism.”
The “international consensus” that Levitt claims exists is belied by a long list of prominent individuals and civil society organizations, Jewish and non-Jewish, that have spoken out against the use of the IHRA WDA to suppress speech critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
These include: Kenneth Stern, author of the definition; more than 450 Canadian academics; the British Columbia Civil Liberties Union; the American Civil Liberties Union; the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations; Independent Jewish Voices Canada; the Canadian Labour Congress, and many others.
By equating justifiable criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, the IHRA WDA draws attention away from the demonstrated threat of antiSemitism from white supremacists and other racist extremists.
This is something we can ill afford. Sheryl Nestel, Toronto
Michael Levitt does not speak for me, nor for many, many other Canadian Jews, as he well knows.
I object to Israel’s human-rights abuses, illegal settlements, and its practice of apartheid. This in no way makes me anti-Semitic. I am proud to be a Jew of conscience. Beware of those who claim to speak for entire religions and cultures!
They often have a very partisan axe to grind. Vicki Kelman, Toronto