All Posts Tagged With: "Israel"

There’s enough to worry about right there on campus

socialistalternative/Flickr

Sean Wilson, a board member of the University of Regina Students’ Union, says that student leaders should be focused on things like tuition, residences and public transit. Recently, they’ve often been focused on the Middle East instead. Not on those killed by their own government in Syria, the sexual minorities mistreated by Iran or women subjugated by Saudi Arabia. No, they’ve been debating whether to join such international power brokers as Lenny Kravitz and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland in their commitments to not buy Israeli products or host Israeli academics.

Big deal right? I would argue yes, and not just because these student unions are taking sides.

Continue reading Student leaders shouldn’t focus on Israel

Jewish students say they’re victims of discrimination

The York Federation of Students has endorsed the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign at York University, causing an uproar from those who disagree with its aims.

This decision was made during a meeting called by the YFS’ executive members on March 21, when a motion was put forth to endorse the campaign, resulting in a vote of 18-2 in favour.

Approximately 200 undergraduate students attended the meeting.

Safiyah Husein, vice-president equity of the YFS, says the movement is a form of “international solidarity with the Palestinian call for justice, equality, and an end to the occupation,” that, “puts pressure on institutions to divest from companies currently funding weaponry for the Israeli military.”

More than 5,000 students signed a petition asking the YFS to discuss the BDS issue, says Husein.

Continue reading York Federation of Students endorses Israel boycott

Prof. Pettigrew on why universities can’t divest

Fort McMurray, Alta. oilsands (eryn.rickard/Flickr)

Here, Cape Breton University Professor Todd Pettigrew argues that divesting from “unethical” companies isn’t as easy as activists make it sound. After reading his commentary, check out Torrance Coste’s argument in favour of divestment.

I served, for a brief time, on the Board of Governors of Cape Breton University, and one thing I did during that period was speak in favour of looking into ethical investments. After all, we know from the proverbs that money talks.  So if we are talking with our money, why not have it say something important?

Ethical investing, I argued at the time, seemed all the more urgent in the context of university education. If we are trying to teach our students to think critically, shouldn’t we ask tough questions about scholarship endowments and pension funds? Should we give scholarship funds to a student studying, let’s say, social justice, and then tell that student not to worry where that money came from?

Continue reading Ethical investing isn’t as easy as it sounds

Concert would “deeply offend”

Tel Aviv University will not permit a scheduled Richard Wagner concert to take place on its campus after angry protests, reports Haaretz. A university spokesperson chastised the show’s organizer, Attorney Yonathan Livni, saying that the performance would “deeply offend the Israeli public in general and Holocaust survivors in particular.” Livni is the founder of the Israel Wagner Society. Wagner, a nineteeth century composer, espoused anti-Semitic views and was a favorite of Adolf Hitler, the German chancellor who led the Holocaust that killed six-million Jews during World War II.

Nick Day faced impeachment after comments on Israel

Queen’s University Rector Nick Day, has resigned.

The news follows a March vote in which 72 per cent of undergraduate students recommended impeachment. Day had angered many when he wrote a letter on behalf of students to former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who had denounced Israeli Apartheid Week as a “dangerous cocktail of ignorance and intolerance.”

In the letter, Day blasted Ignatieff for allegedly supporting a “genocide” against Palestinians.

He was never impeached, in part because the Society of Graduate and Professional students, who are also represented by the rector, had chosen not to participate in Alma Mater Society vote and instead moved to “Support Academic Freedom and Queen’s University Rector Nick Day.”

They were forced to hold their own referendum when more than 10 per cent of graduate and professional students signed a petition in favour of one. Among those voted, 44 per cent wanted Day removed and 56 did not.*

Day said that he regretted signing the letter with his official title.

This post has been updated to add the results of the SGPS referendum.

Some students oppose $5-million gift to university

Concordia photo courtesy of Foxtongue on Flickr

Concordia University made it official Wednesday that it will house the Azrieli Instiute of Israel Studies on campus.

The ethnically-diverse Montreal school has often been a flash-point between pro-Jewish and pro-Palestinian students. That makes it unsurprising that some students are opposed to the $5-million gift to start the school, which was donated by developer David Azrieli.

Self-described social justice advocate Rushdia Mehreen wrote an opinion piece for campus newspaper The Link in which she opposed the institute on the grounds that it “effectively strengthens links between the university and Israel, a state in constant breach of international law.” She noted that Professor Eric Shragge, from the school of community and public affairs, plus the feminism- and social justice-focused Simone de Beauvoir Institute also oppose the institute.

But one of the institute’s founders says that the institute “is not about the politics.” Instead, co-director and religious studies professor Norma Joseph told the Montreal Gazette that ”it’s about the study of a geographic area — its culture, its history, its economics, its diversity, even its food.”

She added that she believes institute will bring together Jewish and Muslim students, possibly preventing conflicts like the 2002 riots that caused the cancellation of a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Understanding eliminates conflict,” says Joseph.

Lex Gill, president of the Concordia Student Union, told The Gazette that the institute’s creation is supported by faculty and students alike.

The new institute comes the same week that Yale University has announced it will create a new Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism.

That announcement followed criticism of Yale’s decision to close the Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism (YIISA) — a move that many supporters attributed to pressure from anti-Israeli groups, such as Palestinian Liberation Organization ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat, who called the YIISA’s scholars “anti-Arab extremists.”

The Azrieli Instiute of Israel Studies will be the third such project Canada. There are Israeli Studies institutes at the University of Toronto and at The University of Calgary.

Ben-Gurion University accused of being complicit in oppression of Palestinians

The University of Johannesburg, in South Africa, has become the first institution to cut ties with an Israeli university. A 25 year relationship with Ben-Gurion University was severed after after the UJ’s senate debated the question for two hours on Wednesday. In a secret ballot 60 per cent of senators voted for the academic boycott, though professors will still be permitted to retain ties with Ben-Gurion on an individual basis. The move follows a petition, signed by more than 400 South Africans, to end formal ties over concerns that Israeli universities are complicit in military action taken against Palestinians. One of the signatories to the petition was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who argued recently that “Israeli universities are an intimate part of the Israeli regime, by active choice.”

Rebuffs Liberal leader’s condemnation of Israel Apartheid Week, saying Israel is guilty of genocide

Remember the Queen’s University rector who used a Remembrance Day address to air his own political pet peeves?

Well it seems Rector Nick Day is back at it. After Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff recently released a statement condemning Israeli Apartheid Week, which is taking place on Canadian and international campuses this week, Day released some words of his own, calling Ignatieff’s statement “deeply unethical” in a note posted on his Facebook page and sent to Rabble.ca.

UPDATE: Queen’s Rector faces impeachment

In his letter to the Liberal leader, Day does make some fair points about the right to hold open dialogue on the Israel/Palestine issue, but also delves into his own personal position on the issue, arguing that Israel “operates a discriminatory judicial system in Palestine” and is the perpetrator of “perhaps the biggest human rights tragedy of my generation.” (Was the Rwandan genocide last generation?)

He goes on to slam Ignatieff’s original statement, cautioning the Liberal leader that if he continues to condemn “critique of the genocide happening in Palestine, you and the party you lead are complicit in that genocide.”

Curiously, he also adds:

I was elected to represent the approximately 20,000 students of Queen’s University. If I ever used the influence of my office and the power of my public voice, as you have [. . .] I would have a very difficult time sleeping at night.

Shall we play “Spot the Irony?”

Nick Day has every right to hold any political position he desires, and the freedom to express his opinions openly. The problem, though, is when he signs his name as “rector,” he no longer just speaks for himself. And when speaking for 20,000 students, it is negligent and unjust to take a strong position on an issue that is so politically divisive.

Day could’ve sent the exact same letter in response to Michael Ignatieff’s statement. But instead of signing it, “Nick Day, Rector,” he should have signed it, “Nick Day, student.”

Why pay tribute to war veterans when you can make divisive political statements instead?

Today is Remembrance Day, where citizens across the nation pay our respects to the men and women who have served for Canada. Many people wear poppies as silent tribute to the war dead, pause for a minute of silence, and deliver ceremonial addresses in honour of Canada’s veterans. In some areas of the nation, however, these addresses tend to stray just a smidgen from the main point. Yup, just a smidgen. And on to campus . . .

Nick Day, Queen’s University’s student rector who has been elected to represent student views on social and financial matters to the university, delivered his laundry list of political talking points Remembrance Day address this morning at a Queen`s university-wide ceremony. Day began by telling the audience how his grandfather served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, fondly recalling passed-down war memories contained in an old, cracked cigar box. And then, according to the transcript Day posted on his Facebook page, he diverted:

The armies of the developed world have an unprecedented technological ability to create death.

What? Did you miss something? Maybe you were fiddling with your red poppy, you jingoistic, war-glorifier you.

I believe [my grandfather] would have a lot to say about several things that, in today’s fragmented world, are left unsaid. He would certainly speak up about the continuing violence done to the First Nations of Canada, who are plagued by disproportionate poverty, crime and incarceration, poor health, and who are disproportionately also the victims of violent crimes.

Day goes on to lament global inaction during the Rwandan genocide, and the so-called “international silence” on Palestinian human rights. (Understandable—perhaps the glare from someone’s white poppy was blocking out most UN declarations on Palestinian issues from the past several decades.) Day finishes off by with a quick stab at the Israeli Defense Force, exaltation of Romeo Dallaire, and then back to his grandfather.

Remembrance Day is a time to honour and remember the nobility of the principles defended by the brave citizens of Canada who have come before us. To honour those principles today, I think, requires us to recognize and stand against the atrocities committed at home and abroad.

In order to truly honour the sacrifices of those who fought for justice, we are now required to speak about new forms of injustice, perhaps ones that are harder to see, harder to recognize, that punctuate the lives of the many abused people of this planet.

No, Mr. Day. In order to truly honour the sacrifices of those who fought for justice, one has to actually deliver more than a line or two about those who fought for justice.

Unfortunately, crass and opportunistic hijacking of public addresses is becoming somewhat of a theme on university campuses. Last month, University of Winnipeg valedictorian Erin Larson used her convocation address to slam Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. Her divisive political statements came off as ill-timed, to say the least, but Day may have taken the cake with this one.

Divisive political points have no place in a Remembrance Day address. A ceremony intended to honour the memory of war veterans should do exactly that. To deliberately look the other way demonstrates an inordinate lack of gratefulness towards previous generations, something for which I, as a member of this younger generation, am personally ashamed.  Next year, I should hope Day and like-minded individuals wait until the 12th to clear their social consciences.

Upholding the right of others to say something doesn’t mean you agree with them

The following opinion was designed to be published in The McMaster Silhouette and is tailored to that audience.

Reading week is over, which means many campuses are dealing with Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW).

It’s a tough issue to grasp, especially when the truth is so subjective. This year, it is even tougher after the fighting in Gaza this winter and apparent election of a right-wing coalition government by the Israelis.

Emotions are still running high, and not just on campuses. I write this from Doha, Qatar where I’m presently on assignment. Reading the English language newspapers here, one immediately realizes just how important the Palestinian crisis is to the region. On Feb. 25, stories about Gaza were on the front page of both the city’s English-language newspapers.

Interest groups on both sides of the debate have increased their pressure on universities following last year’s incident at McMaster University. For both sides, the decision to impose a community standard on advertising for Israeli Apartheid Week was seen as a significant event.

For the pro-Israeli side, they saw action against an event they believe inspires hate against their country. Some even call it anti-Semitic. The pro-Israel lobby was galvanized to pressure universities to end Israeli Apartheid Week.

The pro-Palestinian side of the debate saw this as a threat to their cause and were galvanized to organize a rally at McMaster University, which resulted in a police investigation to see if the hate crime provisions of the Criminal Code were violated. The Crown decided there was not enough evidence to meet the high bar set for hate speech.

Both sides completely missed the point; but they often do. Whenever I write on the debate, I receive dozens, if not hundreds of emails and even phone calls from people on both sides. My favourites are the ones that accuse me of being Islamophobic or anti-Semitic. The issue was not IAW: it was the individual poster.

This year, a couple of universities have acted to impose restrictions on advertisements promoting IAW. Many universities are citing the decision of McMaster University last year.

Carleton University banned a poster showing a cartoon depicting a helicopter with the word Israel firing a missile on a child wearing Palestinian grab.

While the poster is provocative, it does not reach the level that the banned McMaster IAW did last year. There is no depiction of blood, the Israeli flag is not used and there is no graphical representation that could be seen to depict Judaism as a whole. Carleton should have allowed the poster.

IAW does have a place on a university campus. While I disagree with the choice of methods used by organizers of IAWs on various campuses, the academy has a responsibility to uphold free speech. Upholding the right of others to say something doesn’t mean you agree with them.

Extremists on both sides often forget who they hope to persuade: the people, like me and you, who are in the middle. It was only recently that someone managed to get me to reassess my position on the conflict. Instead of over-the-top chants and propaganda, she asked me to watch a video hosted by Google and to look further into the issue.

There is plenty of wrong that has been done by both sides in the Middle East; there is plenty of wrong here. By engaging in overly provocative graphic advertising, IAW organizers end up hurting their cause. By asking universities to ban IAW, the pro-Israel lobby hurt their cause.

Both sides need to realize they are not achieving their goals with their present methods.

No side gets exclusive claim to being the victim. They are attacking each other.

The Israeli/Palestinian debate is important and it belongs on our campuses. I only wish true academics would take up the issue and organize proper discussions. I understand why they don’t, and lament the cowardly state of the academy in our country.