Safety and Security of Jewish University Students in Canada

"We have seen gunshots fired at Jewish schools, fire bombings at Jewish institutions, threats of boycott against Jewish-owned businesses and reports across the country of Jewish students feeling unsafe on their campuses."

"This has been accompanied by a lack of action by university leadership to protect Jewish students."

"Whereas a university campus should be a safe sanctuary, we hear instead from Jewish students who are afraid to go to campus or certain classes. This is entirely unacceptable."

"We do not believe that any context is necessary to confirm that the call to eradicate an identifiable group constitutes harassment, intimidation and incites hatred and merits the strongest disciplinary measures available to a  university."

Letter, jointly signed by Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather, David Lametti, Ben Carr, Marco Mendicino and Anna Gainey

Pro-Palestine rally in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

 

A letter has been forwarded to the administrative heads of over two dozen major Canadian universities stating unequivocally their concern over prevailing conditions targeting Jews across Canada, in particular their concerns over incidents taking place across the country on university campuses in an "entirely unacceptable" targeting of Canada's Jewish population.

From what has been reported to the five Members of Parliament, Jewish students are being harassed, subjected to 'hostile environments' in class and that some student newspapers refuse to publish articles from pro-Israel contributors, a situation that has become increasingly blatant since Israel suffered the unspeakable terrorist attacks perpetrated on its citizens in the south, close to the border with Gaza. When 1,200 people were butchered,w omen and girls raped and mutilated and another 240 men, women and children were abducted into Gaza.

What the letter-writers are demanding is that universities respond to five questions they have posed linked to the situation, and what the university administrations plan to do to combat rising antisemitism on campus. The universities' heads were given a response deadline of January 20, 2024. Coincident to questions that have become notoriously embarrassing for America's most elite universities where heads of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT refused to respond as decency demanded that a call for genocide against Jews would violate their institutions' code of conduct.

Their testimonies widely denounced, Liz Magill, University of Pennsylvania president, resigned over having stated, to a direct question, that calling for Jewish genocide was regarded as 'harassment' depending on the 'context'. "Canadian students are feeling the same way as American students. So, I'm forcing universities to think about it and I'm forcing them to do something about it", explained MP Anthony Housefather in his concern that a similar attitude resides within the leadership of Canadian universities.

The universities were also urged to detail what steps have been taken to "protect Jewish students" on campus since October 7, and to review their codes of conduct ensuring they deal with antisemitism in the manner deserving of the resurgence of an ancient scourge. The responses are to be tabled in the House of Commons and will also set the scene for a study impending on antisemitism in universities at the House Justice Committee early in the coming year.

 

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says he does not support the motion at the United Nations, which Canada voted for, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Housefather says Canada went against its traditional position at the UN.  CBC News

 

The letter went into circulation the very day the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement in concert with New Zealand and Australia, calling for a ceasefire on the condition Hamas release all remaining hostages, make an end to the use of civilians as "human shields" and surrender governing in Gaza. The very day that Canada joined ranks with 152 other countries to vote for a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, while failing to denounce Hamas.

And to this unfortunate, and unforgivable breaking of ranks with a fellow democracy that previous Canadian governments had vowed never to desert, some members of the Liberal government's caucus spared no words of disappointment in their own government.

The results of a draft resolution vote are seen on a screen as the UN General Assembly holds an emergency special session on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations headquarters on Dec. 12, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Michael M. Santiago /Getty Images