Independent
Jewish Voices Canada August 22, 2017
One important aspect of the Charlottesville racist events is the brazen
inclusion of the Jews as targets for white supremacist wrath. Scenes of Nazis
marching with firebrands chanting “The Jews Will Not Replace Us” are now seared into brains
around the world.
Is the
inclusion of Jews among the targets of white supremacy a sign that we must now
pay more attention to the right-wingers than before?
Our response is
that the inclusion of Jews as targets does not in itself make the incidents
more serious. They are serious enough. We must not ignore — and we must and do
— denounce the antisemitic aspects of white supremacy.
But we must
also not privilege anti-Jewish bigotry above any other type of bigotry and
hatred.
The size and
boldness and violence of the fascist activity in Charlottesville was
inspired by Trump’s behaviour and pronouncements long before the event. What
used to seem a marginal and subterranean movement has quickly been given
licence to come to centre stage.
In Canada,
successive Islamophobic and nativist politicians have also enabled the
right-wing feedback loop.
A white shooter
killed six and injured nineteen Muslims in a Quebec City mosque in January,
even as fascist recruitment posters abounded at Laval University. Quebec and
Canada’s racist movement grew exponentially afterwards. Last Sunday,
the numbers were equal in Quebec City between the few hundred racists aligned
with the Islamophobic and anti-refugee organization La Meute, and the
anti-racists counter-protesters.
A few hundred
people showed up at a “Million Canadians” pro-Trump rally on Parliament Hill in
June. “Proud Boys of Canada” disrupted a Halifax rally of indigenous people and
allies in July. Storm Alliance members harass refugees crossing the boarder
into Canada. This year, Jewish Defence League members from Toronto traveled to
the AIPAC convention in Washington and beat up a Palestinian teacher.
The
Charlottesville affair and Quebec’s successful La Meute have inspired other
racists. There is urgent work to be done by all progressive people to stop this
surge of hatred.
In fact, the
best response of Jews to the recent events must be not to draw attention away
from Muslims, refugees, people of colour, LGBTQ+ by claiming a special and
incommensurable Jewish hurt. The best response for Jews is to stand together
with these other targets of hatred and to fight alongside them. Despite the
antisemitism of the white supremacists, Jews are enormously privileged in
American and Canadian society and we should USE that privilege to unite with
others to combat ALL forms of prejudice and hatred.
An issue that
SHOULD trouble Jews profoundly is how the white supremacists can hate Jews but
love Israel. In an interview with Israeli television, “alt-right” honcho
Richard Spencer declared himself a “White Zionist,” claiming only the same rights
to exclusion for whites that Israel practices for Jews.
Naomi Dann, of
the US group Jewish Voice for Peace, correctly points out:
“Richard
Spencer, whose racist views are rightfully abhorred by the majority of the
Jewish community, is holding a mirror up to Zionism and the reflection isn’t
pretty[2].”
Leaders in
mainstream Jewish organisations have been muted or silent about this paradox
and tepid in condemnation of the Charlottesville racism. We need to hear Jewish
voices on human rights issues like police carding, the inquiry into Missing and
Murdered Indigenous women, the massive rates of incarceration and poverty among
Indigenous and African-Canadians, and the vilification of Muslims.
It’s time for
Jewish Canadians to stand up for others.
Independent
Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) is a national human rights organization whose
mandate is to promote a just resolution to the conflict in Israel and Palestine
through the application of international law and respect for the human rights
of all parties.
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