Israel, Palestine & Me
by: Reb Arie on August 11th, 2009 | 6 Comments »
The Jewish Court for Social Justice, at our first meeting, decided that Israel/Palestine would not be a primary focus of the Court’s attention in this session. The natural outcome of that decision? A discussion of Israel/Palestine dominated our second meeting.
SAIA has taken Carleton to the OHRC because this poster was banned by Carleton University as hate speech.
The issue I brought before my colleagues concerns Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at Carleton University. SAIA has taken the university before the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), which has made a tremendous mistake in hearing the matter SAIA presented to them.
SAIA promoted Israel Apartheid Week at Carleton this past March with the poster you see here. The university administration, correctly in my opinion, considered the poster inappropriate and banned it from campus.
SAIA has taken Carleton to the OHRC because the poster was banned.
No member of the Court believes this poster is anti-Semitic, an absurd claim used by weak minds with strong opinions.The Court split 2-1 on filing an intervention with the Human Rights Commission. I am the minority on this issue.
The university banned this poster for one simple reason: It’s offensive! It is, in my opinion, morally outrageous.
I do not object to being outraged or offended. Some art has that purpose, namely agit-prop. I do, however, strongly object to agit-prop that does not contribute to anything other than propaganda.
The SAIA poster is nothing but crude agit-prop.Crude agit-prop tells lies. How does this poster inform someone ignorant of the Gaza incursion? And what has it to do with Israeli “apartheid”? The separation wall, a huge mistake Israel will pay for over a generation or longer, is shown here on all sides. The problem? The wall is nowhere near Gaza. It surronds the West Bank, not Gaza.
Agitprop poster by Vladimir Mayakovsky. Source: Wikipedia
Refined agit-prop both informs and transforms. The four panels on this Soviet propaganda poster clearly shows two options.
The upper panels show cold winters and starvation. The lower panels show the value of collective labour.
The art here both informs people of a problem and offers a solution to that problem. This is in sad contrast to the SAIA poster. I know that people died in the Israeli offensive. I know that some of them were children. What I don’t know is what to do about it.
SAIA should tell me what to do about it if they have a solution. Alas, no. SAIA does not know what to do about it.
Wouldn’t they offer a solution in their art if they knew what to do about it?
I’d be interested in knowing who has the authority to establish a Jewish court and who recognizes it.
Since you are in Ottawa, is your court recognized by the local Jewish congregations, by Rabbi Bulka and the other Ottawa rabbis, by Ottawa’s Jewish federation, by national organizations like Canadian Jewish Congress, etc.?
Shalom, Helen, Nice to hear from you.
Authority: You mean someone needs to permit me to form a Jewish community organisation? I have the authority. So, for that matter, do you.
As to who recognises the Court — anyone who chooses to do so. There is (presently) no reason other Ottawa rabbis would not, but do bear in mind that it is not in the nature of a congregational rabbi to recognise any authority than his or her own. I would not say that’s an ideal mindset, but it’s definitely the reality.
There is nothing in Ottawa similar to the Va’ad Ha’ir/MK in Montreal — which is most definitely a good thing. You should know, by the way, that no other community in Canada, even Toronto, has anything remotely similar to the Va’ad — which is most definitely a good thing.
What reason would the Federation have for recognising or not our activities? We don’t ask them for money.
Congress is our competitor. We differ from Congress in three ways:
1. We do not speak from a secular perspective
2. We do not purport to be the voice of Canadian Jewry
3. We do not advocate on behalf of Israel
This being Canada, Item 3 is a bit controversial, isn’t it? The Court discussed this at our first meeting. We decided that Israel/Palestine would not be a primary focus. The activities and foolishness of Students Against Israeli Apartheid is a local issue, not an Israel/Palestine one. It remains my opinion that we should seek status as intervenors with the Ontario Human Rights Commission but this is not the opinion of my colleagues. The most they were willing to undertake at this time was a public statement, the approval of which may well be a 2-1 split. I’m not likely to favour a watery public statement and I don’t think they are likely to favour a strong one, but one never knows.
Thanks again for writing.
Kindest,
Reb A
I guess I’m confused. You are head of something you call a “court” that issues decisions. But my understanding of a court, be it a civil court, a criminal court, even a religious court, is that it has to have authority that is recognized. Otherwise, it seems to me, it’s just you and, so you say, two anonymous persons issuing decisions that ultimately mean nothing to anyone.
hanks for the continued input, Helen. I truly appreciate it.
The only way to become recognised is to become known for something.
As to the anonymity of my members? I value their security. Do you know who the individual members of Congress are? No, you know Bernie Farber.
Rabbi Heschel, of righteous and blessed memory, said “all you need to start a movement is one… and another one… and another one…”
Rabbi Heschel did not have to concern himself with Kahane Chai and Masada2000.
You have raised, however, another issue: are we a court? I do struggle with the notion to some extent, but on the other hand are we a commission, a council, a board? All these description are over-used.
Kindest,
Reb A.
Actually, we do know who the national and regional officers of Congress are. They are listed at http://www.cjc.ca/template.php?action=officers&Language=EN and are accessible. They can also be seen participating at many community events in many different places across the country. There are 38 people listed and of those, I know seven personally.
The Court does not yet have regional or national officers. I am presently recruiting from Vancouver and Atlantic Canada. I have had some interest from Calgary also.
Montreal remains a question mark. I am tremendously unhappy with the demeanour of Montreal’s Jewish community, with its veneer of phony Orthodoxy, its benighted past of secular-left activism, and its absurdly vocal pro-Israel-and-damn-the-reason perspective. I really don’t know from whom to recruit — and I lived there almost 10 years.
The Jewish Court for Social Justice will not become a national organisation overnight and neither will its influence be felt by many today. Tomorrow is another day.
Reb A.