B.C. carpentry school rejects, then un-rejects, Israeli student

‘IT’S NOT GENUINE’

in the region, we are not accepting applications from Israel,” read a note sent to Daron by Patricia Rokosh, the manager of the Island School of Building Arts.

Located on Gabriola Island, the school specializes in timber joinery, a nailless form of wood construction that dates back centuries. Daron sought to sign up for a four-week, $2,500 course — and had even read a textbook written by the school’s founder in preparation.

On its website, the school bills itself as a friendly place for international students, even noting that English proficiency isn’t a requirement. “Joinery is a visual medium with language playing a minor role … don’t worry,” it says.

When Daron shot back an email noting the apparent hypocrisy of the ban on Israelis, Rokosh emailed back that “decisions being made halfway around the world” prompted them to suspend their prior welcome of Israeli nationals, some of whom had attended the school in the past.

“We are still inclusive and cannot support that which is not inclusive,” wrote the school in an email obtained by the Jerusalem Post.

But on Tuesday, as Daron’s story began to hit Canadian and Israeli media, the school rescinded its ban on Israelis, saying it was a “mistake.”

“After significant thought and listening to all interested parties, ISBA has decided to rescind any restriction placed on accepting students from Israel and apologize for any inconvenience,” wrote Rokosh in a statement to the National Post.

Rokosh added that their policy was a “mistake in the interpretation of the UN declaration.”

The statement did not specify which United Nations declaration, although there are none on record that would require a Canadian trade school to ban entry to a particular nationality.

Regardless, the Island School of Building Arts policy likely violated Canadian law. Under the B.C. Human Rights Code, for one, businesses are prohibited from discriminating based on “place of origin.”

Reached by the National Post, Daron says he doesn’t buy the school’s reversal.

“I honestly think they only apologized because of all the attention they got, so it’s not genuine,” he said by email, adding “I will never go there.”