"Geist touts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, but fails to mention that this definition recklessly conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Other definitions of antisemitism – the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, for example – define antisemitism while still leaving space for critics of Israel to condemn its war crimes and apartheid."
July 10, 2024
Please find my “letter to the editor” submission below Michael Geist’s piece “The Jewish community’s concerns are often met with disbelief”
Michael Geist is right to argue that antisemitism should be taken seriously (“The Jewish community’s concerns are often met with disbelief”); it’s a horrific form of racism that continues today. Nevertheless, Geist weaves his argument to carefully avoid the many elephants in the room around the antisemitism discussion.
For example, Geist touts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, but fails to mention that this definition recklessly conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Other definitions of antisemitism – the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, for example – define antisemitism while still leaving space for critics of Israel to condemn its war crimes and apartheid.
In another example, B’nai Brith Canada’s (BBC) 2023 annual report claimed that there were 5791 incidents of antisemitism in Canada in 2023, a number more than ten times the number identified by Global News after examining police data from seven major Canadian cities. Perhaps this is because BBC claims that signs like “Stop Israeli Genocide” and “Boycott Israeli Wines” are incidents of antisemitism.
Sincerely,
Thomas Woodley, MPA
11237 Frigon, Montreal, QC H3M 2R6
438-380-5410
President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East