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.

It is easy for memories to fade into nothing

Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter tells his story at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day program, Jan. 27, at Library and Archives Canada. (Dana Simpson)

 Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter gave moving testimony at Ottawa’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day program. Dana Simpson reports.

In 2005, the United Nations designated the anniversary of the January 27, 1945 liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazis’ largest death camp, as the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In Ottawa, about 300 people gathered at Library and Archives Canada, January 27, to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at an event organized by Library and Archives Canada, the Centre for Jewish and International Affairs (CIJA), the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, and the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship at Carleton University.

The keynote speaker was Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter. His story spanned 88 years, eight countries, countless untimely deaths, and one concentration camp bar mitzvah.

Recalling his boyhood as the Second World War broke out, Gutter told a story of living in the Warsaw ghetto before he was deported to the Majdanek death camp in 1943.

“By the end of 1941, the ghetto could only be described as an apocalyptic hell,” said Gutter.

But he distinctly remembers one moment of pleasure in which, while running through the open, nearly destroyed buildings of the ghetto, he found a book. This book had no cover, but at the top of one of the pages was the name “Scarlett O’Hara.”

“I read it avidly over and over again,” said Gutter. “It was only after the war when I saw a movie that I learned the book I had read was Gone with the Wind. Much later, the irony struck me. My world and much else had gone with the wind.”

This memory would set the tone for the rest of the evening. 

In 1943, the Gutters were deported to Majdanek, where all except for Pinchas were murdered upon arrival. 

Choked up with emotion, Gutter reminded the audience how easy it is for memories to fade into nothing. 

“For some reason my brain has shut out all memory of my sister,” said Gutter of his twin, Sabina, whose long blond hair was tied back the day she was murdered. “And I can’t remember anything except that braid. That’s all I remember.”

After avoiding constant selections and escaping his would-be death with the help of an ally, Gutter was liberated by the Soviet army on May 8, 1945.

For 60 years, Gutter shared very little of his story. But since 2005, he has taken part in the March of the Living multiple times, given speeches, and was the subject of a film, “The Last Goodbye,” which was dedicated to the memory of his twin sister.

He has also offered his form and memory to a hologram so that he will continue to teach as a witness to the Holocaust after his passing. Gutter says it is important for people to learn directly from witnesses but notes “the survivors will not live forever.”

He hopes that technology will be the way to maintain the personal connection to the past and continue to educate everyone about the Holocaust for even longer than humanly possible.

“If the Holocaust is to have any positive value at all, it’s in its role of Holocaust education,” said Gutter. “If you and I draw value from the lessons of the Holocaust, that’s one of the best means of defence, I believe, against the difficult, often dangerous world that we are living in at the moment.”

Gutter ended his presentation saying, “Regardless of the difficulties, we must never cease to attempt to restore the world to a better health and try to light the path to a better future.”

During his opening remarks, Robert McIntosh, director general (Archives) at Library and Archives Canada, said that acknowledging and remembering the Holocaust is crucial to the future.

“We believe that preserving the memory of and educating about the Holocaust is essential to the mission of ‘Never Again,’” said McIntosh. “Only by learning from past human travesties can we expect to develop as a free and democratic society.”

In his closing remarks, Martin Sampson, vice-president (communications) of CIJA, echoed that sentiment.  

“One of the things that links us is the deeply held belief that antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem,” said Sampson. “Antisemitism infects and destroys societies… [and] we have to fight it at every opportunity.” 

As the event ended, attendees stood together to participate in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day social media campaign and held up signs with the hashtag #WeRemember.

Attendees at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day program, Jan. 27, at Library and Archives Canada, participate in the #WeRemember social media campaign. (Facebook)