Warriors of the Eighth Front
The news about antisemitism is sometimes so relentlessly alarming that it is difficult to remain hopeful. The news in Israel is even worse. Yet, maybe there are some reasons to take heart now. The bus bombs, planted in Bat Yam and Holon, were discovered without a single casualty. They were likely a small part of a Hamas organized mass terrorist plot that was entirely foiled. That is a miracle.
Today I write about the miracle workers fighting antisemitism in the diaspora. With a 70 year head start in the propaganda war, it is not surprising that the Jihadists are currently winning the media battle. But the war isn’t over yet.
I interviewed 10 people formally and many more informally about their activity fighting antisemitism. While most had been at it for many decades, a number were newer grassroots warriors who do not wish to be named.
Some suggest that mainstream Jewish organizations have failed catastrophically. Much of the blame is foisted on Israel, since expecting disapprobation, it didn’t care to defend itself. After Goebbels, Israel developed a disdain for propaganda. But that left the field open to Hamas et al. to amplify their distorted narrative.
After interviewing experts, I believe that antisemitism could have been so much worse absent their efforts. Qatar has spent untold billions funding Al Jazeera to disseminate lies about Israel. It paid as much for university chairs to spread Edward Said’s and Rashid Khalildi’s false history of Israel and the Jews. Nonetheless, the vast majority of Canadians do not hate Jews.
The people involved in fighting antisemitism in Canada are amongst some of the smartest people I know. They are lawyers, doctors and educators. All are dedicated, motivated and hard-working. They have spent countless hours and money fighting antisemitism. They enjoyed many wins against anti-Semites like Zundel and Keegstra in the 1980s and 90s. Their work led to Canada’s marginalization of Nazism and its hateful ideology. Most of them agreed that the current threat to Jews now comes from the left and Islamism, which has successfully infiltrated our media, government, universities, and schools.
Following World War II, Jews were sensitive to religious intolerance and hesitated to identify the new source of hatred. Over the last thirty years, a great deal of energy went into Muslim and Arab-Jewish dialogue. These were friends and allies, at least until the fight against Islamophobia mutated into a defence of Jew-hatred. Falsely describing the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism as an attempt to silence legitimate criticism of Israel became just one more projection of antisemitic rhetoric.
So how can anyone be hopeful? First, October 7 led not only to an explosion in antisemitism but a wake-up call for Jews, many of whom describe a new found pride, cohesion and identification with the Jewish community. At least a hundred new grassroots organizations have popped up. Jews have called for increased study, particularly using the metrics of Social Science research to discover which tools are most effective. The University of Toronto now has a new department devoted to studying antisemitism.
The intelligence, passion and competence of those engaged in the fight is reason for hope. Dr. Karen Mock, an educational psychologist, is former Executive Director and CEO of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and former National Director of the League for Human Rightsof B’nai Brith Canada. She has spent decades as a leading human rights educator and leader in Arab/ Muslim/Jewish dialogue. She is proficient in training DEI officials whose skill has been recognized by the Canadian courts and human rights tribunals as an expert on racism and antisemitism; testifying about antisemitism before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. Although Dr. Mock was honest that training DEI officials can be very challenging, she still felt that “nothing was more gratifying than seeing the penny drop when they finally get it.” Not everyone will understand but some do see how Jews and Israel are treated and examined with different standards than apply to the rest of the world.
Bernie Farber, who was the last CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress before it was absorbed by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) in 2011, remains true to his left wing roots. He was the only person I interviewed who remained adamant that the major threat of “real harm and death to Jews” in North America still comes from the far right. He complained that mainstream Jewish organizations recognize the “threat of antisemitism from those who hate Israel but have no real plan to fight it.” The “Palestinians have a plan, to scare the shit out of Jews” and have “copied the fascists by coming into our neighbourhoods.” Mr. Farber was understandably proud of the work done to marginalize and then destroy fascist white supremacist groups like The Heritage Front. At that time, Jewish groups “came together and used the court and every means possible.” Farber now finds it “hard to deal with anti-Israelism since Israel is a superpower.” Despite his staunch advocacy for the Jewish community, he lamented that “my heart aches for every child killed in Gaza” while also mourning every Israeli killed at the hands of terrorists. He describes himself as “pro-Palestinian” and also pro-Israel.
A retired lawyer recounted a human rights lawyers trip to Israel twenty years ago where they met with Dr. Sari Nusseibeh at Al Quds University. Nusseibeh was interrupted by a law professor when he spoke of peaceful coexistence. The Palestinian profs were clear that no one else agreed with him. It seems that that extremists directed the future, rather than the tiny minority of moderates.
Dr. Steve Samuel, a semi-retired plastic surgeon has sat on the board of Doctors against Racism and Antisemitism (DARA) since its founding, fifteen years ago. The group started when 50 Jewish academic doctors responded to an anti-Israel article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. They began by writing letters. They progressed to organizing accredited conferences at Sunnybrook Hospital, focusing on Israel’s medical research and achievements. They now liaise with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and Ontario Medical Association to introduce Holocaust education into the medical school curriculum. They mobilized hundreds of Jewish academic physicians to proudly assert their Zionism. DARA has now made inroads at the University of Toronto’s Temerity School of Medicine and consulted with the school’s dean when it examined its own antisemitism problem . DARA brought in current Jewish medical students, who recounted tales of the discrimination and hatred they had faced.
Dr. Mark Freiman is well-placed to speak about the growth of antisemitism in Canada. He has been a professor of English literature at Stanford, a distinguished lawyer, Ontario Assistant Attorney General and President of the Canadian Jewish Congress until its dissolution. He felt that the rise in antisemitism is evidence of a general decay in democracy, liberalism and the rule of law. He stated that “the parallels to the 1930s are frightening. Antisemitism is the ultimate conspiracy theory. It arises whenever there are periods of social and economic upheaval.” Freiman believed that the decline in our society was evidenced by the large swathes of people who feel dispossessed and insecure about their future. When old ways break down, the easiest path is to find a simple reason - a scapegoat. Freiman trusts that grassroots Jewish groups could ally with those who are disgusted by the marches and entitlement. He feels that an inchoate backlash is commencing. The fact that non-Jews are beginning to recognize the threat Jihadism poses to democracy is cause for optimism. Common cause can be found with groups fighting against antidemocratic, anti-LBGTQ and misogynistic forces.
Freiman is appalled by the number of antisemitic inversions entering into common discourse. He cited the notion of Anti Palestinian Racism (APR), which condemns support for the Jewish state as racism. While APR is presented as the vanguard of social justice, it is exactly the opposite. Freiman also rejected the current manifestation of DEI, so removed from its initial idealism, and its ludicrous attempts to define Jews and antisemitism. Even worse, public school boards have brought in overtly anti-Zionist groups, like Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), to teach about antisemitism. Freiman’s present focus is the use of legal remedies to combat definitions of antisemitism which are, in themselves, hateful. He is involved in a Human Rights Tribunal case between unions and their dues-paying members.
A long-time employee of an established Jewish organization suggested that although we are playing “whack-a-mole” antisemitism would be so much worse without our efforts. Contrary to criticism directed at mainstream Jewish organizations, he saw both reactive and proactive elements in the fight. He pointed to theADL’s new strategy of measuring the effectiveness of Jewish advocacy work.
One lawyer engaged in the legal battle against antisemites finds that Jews are powerless in their attempt to convince police forces to enforce Canada’s hate crime laws against criminal antisemites. At 1% of the population, Jewish numbers are just too small. Even when the perpetrators are arrested, charges are inevitably dropped. He pointed to the lack of will manifested by all three levels of government, explained by the slew of demands from left wing and Arab voices. He does not envision any improvement until we develop a new plan.
Mark Sandler has created just such a strategy, embodied in the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA.) ALCCA believes in respectful dialogue amongst those with divergent views but who do not celebrate terrorism and reject hatred in all its forms. Sandler recognized that our Jewish population will remain tiny. That is why we need to maximize our precious human resources by coordinating our work. The legitimacy of our advocacy is multiplied exponentially when joined by moral non-Jews. The new alliance that Sandler founded consists of dozens of Jewish organizations but also their allies. Among those allies are Iranian dissidents, Hindus, moderate Muslims and interfaith groups. Sandler has worked closely with Harry LaForme, Canada’s first native appellate judge, and other native officials who recognize Israel’s unique story of true decolonization and indigenous return to their ancestral homeland.
Responding to the criticism that Jewish organizations must be proactive, ALCCA has laid out a strategy that addresses every level of government. Sandler, one of Canada’s most respected criminal lawyers, is training police units in the investigation and enforcement of hate crimes.
In the 1980’s and 90’s Sandler used to conduct DEI training. Now he feels that the original goal of respecting every human has been seriously undermined. He understands why many Jews would toss out DEI or “demand a return to true inclusiveness.” He is urging the government and organizations to reject APR , as defined by its proponents, as a deliberate attempt to demonize Jews; one which does little to protect Palestinians from discrimination.
Sandler sees far right antisemites as a marginal group in Canadian society that has been excluded from power. On the other hand, the “far progressive left has gained legitimacy because they hold academic positions and have gained an acceptability that the far right never had.” Since universities are the epicentre of modern day antisemitism, Sandler spends much of his volunteer time focused on them.
Sandler believes that uninformed and deliberately misinformed students can be turned around. But right now on campus, those students “are being bombarded with information that demonizes Israel. They don’t know any of the history of the region.” Sandler said “looking at Harvard, we cannot expect universities and colleges to do the right thing on their own initiative. There will have to be external pressure from government or law suits.” One such lawsuit is Shabbos Kestenbaum’s action against Harvard. Rather than settle, Kestenbaum persists in order to expose the details of Harvard’s refusal to protect its Jewish students.
Sandler suggests that the best way for the average person to fight antisemitism, outside of funding or joining Jewish advocacy groups, is to meet with our elected officials to ask specific questions which they cannot evade answering.
While there are many Israeli, American and Canadian influencers attempting to advocate for Israel, neither the numbers nor the algorithms are in their favour. I still admire them. There are too many to mention but my three favourites are Eve Barlow, Shai Davidai and Zach Sage Fox. Unfortunately, most accounts have followers that number in the tens of thousands. Gal Gadot sometimes tweets about the hostages and attracts 3.5 million viewers. Impressive as that is, the anti-Zionist model and influencer, Bella Hadid has 61 million followers and Mia Khalifa 26 million.
Pat Johnson, a left leaning, gay, non-Jewish ally writes one of my favourite Substack columns. It is full of snarky “smack downs” aimed at antisemites. He has started a project of small-group discussions to educate the silent majority about Israel and antisemitism.
Canadian lawyer, Hillel Neuer of UN Watch and Israeli professor, Gerald Steinberg of NGO Monitor produce enormously valuable research for their respective battles.
Lastly, Bari Weiss deserves a mention for her refusal to adopt the legacy media’s reflexive anti-Zionist narrative. While Honest Reporting Canada, Honest Reporting in the U.S. and CAMERA in the U.K. are terrific resources, Weiss may have a wider audience. She left the New York Times when it abandoned journalistic neutrality in favour of activism. She and her wife are building a media empire, The Free Press. On her latest podcast, in conversation with Matti Friedman, Weiss recognized the hate coming from both political extremes. She cited the “profound anti-American and anti-Jewish sentiment on large parts of the American right… woe to the people that …still believe that the things that Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson are saying will not make an impact on the right, because they will.” Weiss recognizes that Jews never do well in times of extremism. They need a tolerant liberal middle ground.
I agree with Weiss that the threat to Jews has always come from the extremes. For that reason, I am grateful to those continuing the fight against all sources of Jew hatred, whether fascist, socialist or Jihadist. The brave fighters have truth on their side. It will triumph in the end.
Thank you for this post, it gives some hope.
Thanks for this survey. My Substack, Canadian Zionist Forum, with 950 subscribers after 19 months is also dedicated to addressing these issues.