"It is not fair to human rights activists and other voices in support of Palestinian rights to have B’nai Brith’s unfounded allegations against them uncritically repeated in the Canadian media. The fight against antisemitism in Canada must not be at the expense of Palestinian human rights."
May 8, 2024
To:
Wolfgang Depner, Legislative Reporter, Victoria News
Katherine Engqvist, Managing Editor, Greater Victoria, Victoria News
Dear Wolfgang Depner, and Katherine Engqvist,
I am writing to express my concern about the article: “Anti-Semitic incidents spike 92% in B.C. during 2023: B’nai Brith Canada,” published on May 6 in Victoria News.
My first concern is that you mention B’nai Brith’s 2023 report on antisemitic incidents in Canada without raising skepticism about it.
B’nai Brith releases a report on antisemitic incidents every year. Every year, its report is subjected to the same criticism about the flaws in its methodology because B’nai Brith conflates incidents of antisemitism with pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of the state of Israel and its policies (anti-Zionism). B’nai Brith’s data and findings on “antisemitic incidents” can therefore falsely include incidents that are not antisemitic.
This is an issue that has been raised in the literature on antisemitism in Canada.
When B’nai Brith released its 2022 report on antisemitic incidents, a study was released by Robert Brym from the University of Toronto and Rhona Lenton from York University which states that B’nai Brith’s annual report “lumps together under the rubric of antisemitism actions that are antisemitic with various types of action that are critical of Israel,” and argues that this should “temper our alarm” over their findings.[1] Brym also previously stated about B’nai Brith’s methodology: “It remains the case that one may be critical of Israeli government policy without holding negative attitudes towards Jews. By lumping together anti-Jewish and some anti-Israel actions, and labelling both antisemitic, B’nai Brith Canada ignores this possibility.”[2]
Sheryl Nestle for a report for Independent Jewish Voices in 2021, raised similar conclusions regarding B’nai Brith’s methodology. She concluded that “B’nai Brith Canada cannot be understood as a neutral source for reporting on the nature and scope of antisemitism in Canada.”[3]
It is not fair to human rights activists and other voices in support of Palestinian rights to have B’nai Brith’s unfounded allegations against them uncritically repeated in the Canadian media. The fight against antisemitism in Canada must not be at the expense of Palestinian human rights.
Instead of mentioning and referencing B’nai Brith’s report, you can mention and reference Robert Brym’s survey: Jews and Israel 2024: A survey of Canadian attitudes and Jewish perceptions. Two important findings by Brym are:
- Most non-Jewish Canadians do not have negative attitudes toward Jews
- The degree to which Canadian Jews feel they are unsafe is strongly associated with their emotional attachment to Israel. Just 20 percent of respondents who say they are “not very” or “not at all” attached to Israel feel less safe than they did a few months earlier. In contrast, among those who say they feel “somewhat attached” or “very attached” to Israel, 80 percent feel less safe.
I’m requesting an update to this article to include a critical perspective noting that B’nai Brith’s audit conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. This should also be incorporated into future reporting on this topic.
My second concern is that you do not describe B’nai Brith. B’nai Brith Canada is a self-prescribed “staunch defender of the State of Israel,” according to their website. B’nai Brith Canada can be best described as a pro-Israel advocacy organization. By not describing it as such, you are presenting it as a representative of the Jewish community and their concerns, which is not fair or accurate to human rights activists against antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism.
Please add a description of B’nai Brith Canada to be more accurate and fairer.
I hope Victoria News will make these changes and be more critical when reporting on antisemitic incidents in Canada.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East