From the Editor: Our city should adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism

Michael Regenstreif, Editor

By Michael Regenstreif

Editor

Last June, the federal government adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a component of its anti-racism strategy. At the time, Canada was the 17th country to adopt the definition.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) – the advocacy agent for Jewish federations in Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa – has been encouraging provincial and municipal governments across the country to endorse and adopt the IHRA definition as well.

In an era when, sadly, antisemitism and antisemitic hate crimes are on the rise, it is important to have a common definition of antisemitism that can guide law enforcement officials, the courts, the educational system, and all of us. The IHRA definition does that by defining both classic antisemitism and pointing out examples of how criticism of the State of Israel can and does cross the line into antisemitism. However, the IHRA definition of antisemitism explicitly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

The line is crossed, though, by “applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation,” or “using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis,” or “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis,” or “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”

In other words, criticism of specific Israeli government policies or Israeli politicians are as legitimate as criticism of specific Canadian or American policies. For example, as I write, environmental protest actions by several Indigenous nations in Canada have stopped Via Rail service across the country and it is not anti-Canadian to criticize the government on how it has handled the protests or even how it has handled the totality of relations – and reconciliation – with Canada’s Indigenous peoples. But it would be anti-Canadian to say that Canada has no right or legitimacy to exist as a country because of how it has acted on the protests specifically, or even on Indigenous relations generally.

Bill 168, a private member’s bill introduced by Ontario Conservative MPP Will Bouma, would make Ontario the first province to adopt the IHRA definition. The bill passed first reading at Queen’s Park two months ago and is now at committee.

At the municipal level, few cities have yet taken any action on adopting the IHRA definition. On January 28, the day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the city of Vaughan, a Toronto-area suburb became the first city in Canada to adopt the definition.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a motion was presented at Montreal’s city council calling for the city to adopt the IHRA definition. The motion was presented by Councillor Lionel Perez, an observant Jew, who told the Canadian Jewish News that he “believes the city should take this position because of the increase in hate crimes against Jews.”

However, when the matter came before the city council, Perez withdrew the motion when Mayor Valèrie Plante said defining antisemitism was “far from a black and white issue” and suggested sending the issue of antisemitism to a council committee which could devise a “Montreal model” to define antisemitism.

The following week there was no such hesitation when the city council of Westmount – the suburb next to downtown Montreal where I lived for 27 years before moving to Ottawa in 2007 – unanimously adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

I hope Ottawa City Council will also soon act to adopt the IHRA definition.

Bulletin website

I’m pleased and excited to report that work on the new Ottawa Jewish Bulletin website is nearing completion and the site is scheduled to go live at www.ottawajewishbulletin.com on Wednesday, March 4.

The new design is a big improvement on our old site, which we have not been able to update since August.

Since then, we’ve been posting content to a temporary site at www.ojbulletin.blogspot.com which we’ll continue to use until the new site goes live. It will be great to get back to our real home on the internet.

Federation Report: ‘Inclusion is not an end – it leads to belonging’

Michael Polowin

By Michael Polowin, Chair

Jewish Federation of Ottawa

We were all at Mount Sinai. Our traditions hold that at the time of receiving the Torah from Hashem, all Jews, past, present and future, were there to receive it. Those confronting disabilities or mental health conditions were there with all of us.

February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). It is a month where we recognize that all of our people are, our people. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa recognizes and embraces the need to embrace all of our people. We are striving to create a welcoming and inclusive community for all people. Here’s some of what that means:

We all have the right to choose our own Jewish journey. Sometimes that journey will be harder, as people work to deal with their personal situations. We recognize that, and we will continue to strive to make it easier, even though that will be an evolution, not a revolution.

We encourage empathy and a welcoming spirit, while urging all Jews to welcome people with disabilities and mental health conditions into their communities and personal lives. We will include people with disabilities and mental health conditions in all aspects of communal life.

Federation will advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and mental health conditions, and support them in making their own decisions about how they want to belong to their Jewish community. Having a disability or mental health condition must never be used as a reason to exclude someone from meaningful participation and contribution to this wonderful place we call “The Jewish Community.” Everyone has gifts to share as well as needs for comfort and community.

How have we done this already?  Federation was a major sponsor of the wonderful “Pushing the Boundaries: Disability, Inclusion in the Jewish Community” conference. We are partners with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) in its efforts to advocate for people with disabilities and mental health conditions. That was a salient part of the questions posed by Federation and CIJA of the political parties in our last federal election. We support Tamir financially, and support their efforts to better the lives of their members. Personally, it was a great joy to participate in Tamir’s fashion show in November.

In that respect, we do not do things for people with disabilities or mental health conditions. We do things with people with disabilities and mental health conditions. JDAIM is a time to teach our organizations that inclusion is simply treating people as individuals, not as a group of “those” people whose needs can be met through special programs or occasional visits to synagogues. Just like you, people with disabilities can and must make decisions about how they participate in Jewish life.

Inclusion is not an end. It leads to belonging.

Recognizing Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month is only the first step. What you, your friends or organization does in the next 11 months will determine your commitment to ensuring that all people feel that they belong.

Belonging to our community has always been important to me. I trust that it is for you. Those confronting disabilities or mental health conditions are no different. They aren’t “just like” you and me. They are you and me.

Ottawa Police reinstates Hate Crimes Section

The National Holocaust Monument was defaced with thrown eggs on January 29. The incident occurred just two days after International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ottawa Police were called to the scene and are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

By Michael Regenstreif

Editor

In an announcement January 23, the Ottawa Police Service announced the reintroduction of its Hate Crimes Section.

The reintroduction of dedicated hate crimes officers is one of several changes to Ottawa Police Services that have been announced since Chief Peter Sloly was sworn in last October 28.

“We are very pleased that the Ottawa Police Service is reinstating a specialized Hate Crimes Section. Specially designated units and sections ensure that hate-motivated crimes are investigated by officers equipped with the knowledge, experience, and resources necessary to address such incidents,” said Jewish Federation of Ottawa President and CEO Andrea Freedman in response to the announcement.

“Sarah Caspi, CEO of Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, and I had the opportunity to meet with Chief Sloly and his senior leadership, along with leaders from other at-risk communities as the new policies were brought forward,” added Freedman. “These are critically important measures that Ottawa Police Services is taking and it is clear, that under Chief Sloly, OPS is deeply committed to combatting hatred, in all forms in our nation’s capital. While the rise in antisemitism is deeply disturbing, the Jewish community has a real partner in the OPS.”

“As a result of community and stakeholder feedback, we’re adding two new Hate Crime investigators to the Security Intelligence Section to help identify trends and community safety concerns,” said Sloly. “We re-evaluated how we accepted hate-motivated incidents from the public and we know that responding to incidents of hate will have a far-reaching impact on the well-being of our communities… We know that hate-motivated crimes are often under-reported. We want people to know that we take such incidents seriously and we are here to help.”

According to the announcement, “Officers in the Hate Crime Section will monitor and triage all incoming reports to ensure a timely, consistent and effective response to all hate-motivated incidents in the city. The section will focus on the prevention of hate-motivated incidents through public education, outreach, and the development of intelligence to address extremism. It partners with the province’s Community Safety and Well-Being plan, and includes sharing of information with other police services in the Nation’s Capital.”

The importance of the Hate Crimes Section was underscored in the days after the announcement when the National Holocaust Monument was defaced with thrown eggs on January 29 and an Indigenous art piece at Algonquin College was defaced with yellow paint on January 30. Police are investigating both incidents as hate crimes.

“The bolstering of hate crime units has long been an advocacy priority for both CIJA [Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs] and Federation, and we commend the Ottawa Police Service for taking this important step. We will continue to encourage other jurisdictions to follow in Ottawa’s lead, and establish hate crime sections in their cities and municipalities,” said CIJA Vice-President (Communications) Martin Sampson.

According to Ottawa Police Services, there were 110 reports of hate crime in the city in 2019, an increase from 104 in 2018 and 95 in 2017.