JCA 5.2 Open Access Article: Exclusion, Isolation, and Rejection

JCA 2022 (DOI: 10.26613/jca/5.2.118)

Exclusion, Isolation, and Rejection: Emerging Anecdotal Reports of Jews Studying Social Work. Preliminary Findings

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Abstract

Owing to reports of antisemitism experienced by Jews studying social work, qualitative research is underway to better understand students’ lived experience. Participants, selfselected, had reached out to report antisemitism concerns or responded to a call for interviewees. Nine individuals representing five Canadian institutions were interviewed. Alarming feedback has warranted the release of early findings: the study of antisemitism is commonly omitted from curriculums. Some Jews experienced fear of being “canceled” because of their Jewishness, were subjected to micro-aggressions or hateful course content, or felt pressured to parrot ideologies that countered their Jewish values. Several claimed Jewish identity was denigrated and grossly misunderstood in their programs. While views expressed cannot be rigorously inferred to any broader population, the consistency of the responses, and the intensity of the emotions expressed, suggest that these experiences may be reflective of those faced by a larger number of students, warranting further investigation.

Keywords: antisemitism; antizionism; Jewish students; social work education; exclusion

Owing to documented1 and anecdotal reports of antisemitism experienced by Canadian and American Jews undertaking social work training, a qualitative research project was launched2 to better understand the lived experience of Canadian students, specifically as it relates to their Jewish identities. Allowing them to tell their stories while protecting anonymity (their own and that of their school) would be a first step to better understanding their lives.3

The research is underway but, owing to the concerning feedback that has been collected to date, tentative preliminary findings are released herein for scrutiny. This pilot study was designed

to determine whether further efforts to explore the lived experience of this population is warranted. Based on the initial reports, urgent problems seem indicated, which must be further investigated.

This research engaged current or former students who had sought support regarding antisemitic content or incidents within the context of social work education.4 Four individuals who had reached out to local Jewish organizations were interviewed. Additionally, six more individuals were recruited into the study, having either responded to social media announcements or otherwise been invited to participate.5

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and contributions by Andria Spindel, Jesse Primerano, Elisa Alloul, Rebecca Katzman, and Robert Walker

This report has been produced on the basis of nine completed interviews. These respondents were, then, self-selected individuals who chose to share their experiences and thoughts with the research team. Their views cannot be rigorously inferred to any broader population. At the same time, nine is a large number of respondents given research that involves disclosing sensitive personal information for public scrutiny.

A case in point: one participant withdrew from the study—not unexpectedly—after a publicly humiliating experience addressing antisemitism in her school. Given the fears of being “canceled” for the mere fact of being identifiably Jewish or supportive of Israel (a current reality for students), and the fears that their stories might lead a professor or peer to identify them, which could trigger social, professional, or academic repercussions, we are impressed by the number and quality of responses. 6 Furthermore, the consistency of the responses and the intensity of the emotions expressed suggest that these experiences are reflective of those faced by a much larger number of Jewish social work students.

Relative to the participants’ demographics, one was a social service work student, four were current or former social work students in undergraduate programs, and four were graduate social work students or former students. Two males and seven females participated in the study. Of note, five participants came from a Jewish day school education. Another participant identified as an observant Jew. Six described a Jewish identity that was predicated in whole or part on their identification with the Jewish homeland. All but one attended schools in Ontario, and the largest and more highly politicized schools in the province were represented. The participants attended one of five institutions, one of which is a college. At the time of this writing, three participants are in the midst of, or finishing, a degree or diploma, five are currently in the workforce, having graduated within the last six years, and one former BSW student is now working on a graduate social work degree in the United States.7

The protocols followed in this research were reviewed and approved by Dr. Ernie Lightman, Professor Emeritus at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, relative to ethical adherence to best practices for qualitative research. What follows is a description of the research protocol followed by preliminary findings.

Students or former students were questioned about their social work education and invited to share experiences, academic content, readings, PowerPoint presentations, or class materials, course syllabi, incidents of note, or any other information, which felt relevant or impactful, specifically as related to Jewish identity. Participants were given the option of filling out a survey, participating in an interview, or doing both. All participants selected the interview format. Some provided additional materials in emails. None chose to engage with the written survey.

Except in two instances, interviews were taped and transcribed. Interviews, transcriptions, and report writing was performed by the research director and/or the research intern, who joined the project as a volunteer after coming forward to discuss her own challenges relative to course content in her program. Summary reports were prepared on the basis of the interviews.

Each participant was given the written summary, their personal statement, which was shared in order to a) check accuracy, offering corrections, as necessary, and b) to consider whether the report contained any identifiers, which would compromise anonymity. Adjustments were made when necessary.8

Participants were informed that their permission to include their data in the analysis could be retracted at any point. Once participants provided permission, the document was batched with the others, allowing for data analysis. A thematic analysis was done of each report, identifying common themes and clustering quotations in an effort to explore nuances of given themes, relative to the different participants. A summary of notable themes follows.

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

The following themes were discussed by the research participants.

First, antisemitism is consistently omitted from a curriculum that addresses other forms of hate in the greatest of detail. This assertion was made by every participant. Two students submitted detailed syllabi of courses that dealt with a familiar array of world hates, complete with readings. Antisemitism was not mentioned in either one. Student F described a troubling interaction with her professor as she tried to better understand this omission. She said:

I asked my professor why we do not discuss the social issue of antisemitism within the curriculum. His answer was that Social Work stays out of religion so they can stay neutral. I then argued that we have discussed the issue of Islamophobia many times throughout the year. His response: “I have to get back to my lecture,” and went to his desk.

Next, students described facing ongoing disinterest in Jewish identity in the school environment. Class exercises require students to “locate” themselves and acknowledge their “white privilege” (assuming, as is the belief in the field, that all Jews are white or white passing, which is not accurate). Jewish identity is not deemed a relevant variable when undergoing these exercises. Relative to this prevailing judgment, Student D commented, “It was hard, then, to fully and comfortably participate in these exercises.” Student B completed both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in social work at one Ontario school and similarly commented: “As a Jew in the social work program, . . . There’s no ‘space’ for Jewish identity, in their mind or in their view.” Student E, who was studying in a different province, reflected on the unwillingness and disinterest among faculty and peers to learn about Jewish identity or the Jewish experience. He said:

In my MSW program, I was mostly surprised and offended that not a single person knew how to engage in a conversation about identity when it came to Jewishness. Not even from a “curiosity” stance. As though there was a frozenness of mind and heart, like the room was stripped of all the various forms of intelligence. So Jewish voices were silenced by the lack of engagement, implying it’s not worthy of attention in this setting.

Third, ignorance about antisemitism is rampant. Here are two notable examples, beyond “Jews are rich” and other stereotypes, which students confronted and discussed.9 Student E said, “My wife did her BSW [in Ontario] and in response to bringing up her grandparents’ survival of Auschwitz she was told that Jews didn’t experience oppression like other communities.” He clarified: “The professor said, ‘that’s not oppression.’” Student B said,

The Holocaust—the term was mentioned. Also, eugenics, Nazis. Never was the word Jew mentioned. Never did you hear 6 million Jews or the story of the Holocaust. More so, it was applying the Nazi science to the racism today, racial superiority, white supremacy.

These reports are especially chilling given research that surveyed 3,600 high school students in Canada and the USA. The finding: “Roughly one-third of teens in Canada and the US think the Holocaust is ‘exaggerated or fabricated.’”10

Fourth, students report pressure to write papers or otherwise parrot the ideologies taught by left-wing teachers, even in the process of counselling. This can be problematic to students when, and if, their Jewish values stand opposed, in one way or another, to those being advanced in the classroom. Student B, a graduate of the Jewish day school system, said:

I think I was upset for all the years. The way I refer to my time at [that university]—it’s

traumatic. I really believe that . . . That every core value that I knew was challenged every day. I think I was told the sky is green when I knew it was blue. And if you don’t agree that the sky is green and if you don’t subscribe to that, then you are an idiot.

She added: There’s no balanced approach at all [represented in the classroom] and if you don’t give them what they want to hear—and that’s how I survived—by regurgitating their whatever—I excelled highly—but at the cost of my own morals or values.

She elsewhere told us she hid her Jewish identity, adding: “I was not permitted to hold my own views. I could not be honest in my values and my identity.” Student H shared a paper and commented, “In this paper, I felt I had to lie about my opinions and also demonize rightwing policies in order to get an A.” Once Student H completed her program, she submitted comments to the school which routinely surveys graduating students for feedback about their experience. She shared her written feedback with the researchers, which included the following comment: "The program is extremely politicized, only teaching a leftwing perspective of social issues and devalues any level of clinical work. Professors discuss their political ideologies in the classroom when, in fact, this is not supposed to be discussed."

Student A detailed how his counselling class teacher coached the students to insert Critical Race Theory into the counselling process, telling virtually any client that their problem was caused by the colonists and the Europeans who came to North America. Reporting on that class discussion, he reflected, “There [in that situation in class] was a professor pushing his religion.”

In addition, a predominance of radical left ideology creates a fight mentality and shuns those who disagree. Student B said,

[That school] and social work [the department] is very radical and very extremist: the department, the faculty, the curriculum and I didn’t learn how to be a social worker, at all. It was militant; that was the extremist radical part of it and everything we were taught was “enemies and allies, in the trenches, on the front lines, militant advocacy”—those are terms of war! And that’s what social work is—fighting a battle.

One participant, Rebecca Katzman, specifically requested the use of her name in the context of this research. Katzman is a pioneer and activist having taken her story to the press when the fieldwork advisor at her undergraduate social work school denied her a placement at two mainstream Jewish agencies because, she was erroneously told, they had an “anti-Palestinian lean.”11

As a student who did not publicly embrace the ideologies that were taught, she stated that she was perceived as disagreeable by her peers and attracted their ire. Had her school experience been comfortable, she would have continued her education. She said, “I really resented being in the program. I hated every day, I hated everything I was studying.” About the prospect of a graduate degree, she said: “I don’t want to be in an environment with people that hate me. It’s not that I’m not strong, I just think no other student needs to deal with that. Why do I?”

Students also cited other examples where worldviews that did not dovetail with the dominant ideology espoused in class were vilified. Student H shared a PowerPoint slide, a cartoon meant to depict conservatives as selfish, in contrast to those on the left. There were two groups of people depicted: the ones on the left are shown holding signs saying “we.” The ones on the right (signifying those on the political right) are all holding signs saying, “me.” Student I shared a screensaver from her foundations of social work class: a picture with a sign that said, “The enemy doesn’t come by boat, the enemy

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

comes by limousine.” This student reported that her professor dramatically asserted, “Write this down: capitalism is wrong!”

Historically, many antisemitic tropes posited Jews as “rich capitalists” exploiting their workers; other tropes depicted Jews as racially inferior and deplored, poor old people. Hatred of Jews has taken many forms, always the personification of whatever the enemy most loathes.

More recently, we see a particular pattern, with regards to how antisemitism is expressed versus the expression of other forms of discrimination. Other forms of discrimination currently depict minorities as inferior or less worthy. In contrast, when some pockets of the Jewish population have achieved wealth and success, that achievement has not eliminated discrimination. Rather, we find conspiracy theories like “Jews are all powerful, control the media, control major institutions such as banks, control political parties, and even control the weather.” Blaming Jews for the world’s problems means, therefore, “they must be dealt with.”

When the far left think they are “punching up” and “sticking it to the rich,” they are now mimicking the type of trope that motored barbaric antisemitism in the past and feeds into today’s target: people of white privilege. Concepts of privilege, colonialism, and racism are actually used today to point at Jews rather than identify them as a community that experiences oppression, isolation, “racism,” and has, historically, been colonized.

If schools taught about antisemitism, its historical context, morphability, and its various sources, perhaps this form of hate would not be so prevalent. Jews are often the insinuated subject of statements that vilify both capitalist and communist regimes. Jews have been a major target of persecution, explaining how Jews may find some of the ideas espoused by contemporary social work professors problematic and concerning.

In a different but related vein, Student A mentioned his frustration: the ills of capitalism were generously aired but there was no discus-

sion about the problems of communism. In this way, he found his education lacking, failing to show both sides of issues and falling prey to partisan politics. Quoting lectures of professors, he says, “This is a capitalist country taking advantage of the black and the browns and the people who are not white, white supremacy, blah blah blah.” He thought to himself: “When are we going to talk about the evils of communism? Communism is good in books but it’s not good as a system . . . it’s really oppressive and evil.”

As might be imagined, based on the findings mentioned thus far, religiously observant students might have an uphill battle in social work programs. The reader will recall that five research participants had attended Jewish day schools and one more identified as Orthodox. When lectures and readings, with some frequency, vilify Judeo-Christian frameworks, when students fear being penalized if their values deviate from those taught in school or risk being mocked, derided, or “canceled” by other students, the religious minority might bear the brunt. As student I reflected,

In most classes I did not feel safe to be open about being Jewish. I would reluctantly reveal myself when I had to, such as when working in a group and I needed to explain why I couldn’t meet Friday night or Saturday (as a religious Jew).

She speculated that if a member of another minority mentioned a cultural/religious celebration, they’d be met with curiosity and interest. In contrast, when she disclosed her religious lifestyle and implications for scheduling projects, the experience was uncomfortable. She said:

As an Orthodox Jew, I had an awful feeling that it was not perceived in a positive light. There were many factors that would contribute to this unsettling feeling. One factor would be the many lectures about the patriarchy/negative connotations relative to traditional religion and values. Another factor: the program being

online, with young students, cameras off, long pauses, no comments. Basically, I felt like persona non grata as soon as I would admit I’m an Orthodox Jew.

Furthermore, some social work lectures or readings contain strong antizionism messages. As a context for considering when anti-Israel content becomes antisemitic, it becomes necessary to define Zionism—which is often misunderstood and/or distorted. Similarly, readers must be oriented to the types of messages that Jewish students may experience as offensive.

For the majority of Jews in Canada and around the world, Zionism is integral to their Jewish identity. Israel is the birthplace of Jewish ethnic identity, language, culture, and religion, and Jews have maintained a constant presence there for over 3,000 years. Zionism represents the Jewish people’s unbreakable bond and age-old desire to be free in their ancestral home.

On a political level, Zionism is a liberation movement supporting Jewish self-determination in the land of Israel. Jews endured over 1,900 years of oppression and violence across Europe and the Middle East and still live in a world plagued by antisemitism. In this context, Israel’s existence and wellbeing are vital to the Jewish people’s safety, survival, and human rights.

In Canada, seventy-nine percent of Jews have indicated that attachment to Israel has been a central facet of their Jewish identity.12 Therefore, smearing and demonizing Israel is no more acceptable than targeting any other part of the identity of Jewish students and faculty.

Regarding antizionism, criticism of Israel, like criticism leveled at any other country, is not antisemitic. However, denying Jewish rights to self-determination in their ancestral homeland (a right afforded to all peoples under international law), distorting the definition of Zionism to demonize Jews for supporting it, or inaccurately painting Zionism as racism or “Jewish supremacy” due to Israel’s national identity as a Jewish state (despite its laws requiring equal rights for all Israeli citizens regardless of religion,

identity, background, and other factors, as well as numerous other countries exemplifying a national and/or religious identity), certainly is antisemitic.13

Relative to the kinds of problems that Jewish social work students are struggling with, one theme is the assertion that Israel is a colonial state; an assertion that, itself, is erroneous and antisemitic. Student F and three other Jewish students reached out to StandWithUs Canada (SWU) for help when required course reading, Undoing Border Imperialism, 14 referred to Israel as a settler-colonial state and accused Israel of ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine among other problematic claims. To respond to this content, the students worked with professionals to prepare a detailed brief presenting facts alongside egregious statements/misrepresentations. The professor received the paper graciously and read it aloud in class, issuing the corrections.

Student A reported his school’s narrative: Israel is a colonizer, meaning the Jewish people have no right to their historical homeland. Relative to the Middle East conflict, he described a one-sided perspective. “They say they are pro-Palestinian.” It troubles him that, while describing humanitarian issues for the Palestinians, there is disinterest in humanitarian issues for Jews. In class, he was reluctant to address that imbalance; doing so would bring attention to himself.

Speaking about Islamist terrorism, he reflects, “they kill innocent women and children. They want to kill every Jew. It’s in their charter [referring to the charter of Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization].” According to his reports, there was no consideration of the terrorism directed at Israelis of all religions and ethnicities. Nor an interest to examine both sides of the situation. About his school, he summarized: “It’s full of hate.”

Similarly, Student I shared course material that advanced partisan politics and demonstrated a lack of objectivity with regards to the Middle East conflict. She shared a line from a course text on disability, which referred to “. . . the killing

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

intersections of racism and ableism in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in the summer of 2014. . . .”15 The unsubstantiated accusation of racism and ableism, as well as reference to the Israeli action in Gaza without mentioning this as a response to missiles deployed from that region specifically targeting Israeli civilians of all backgrounds and religions, is inflammatory, seemingly designed to vilify the Jewish people.

Today, it is unlikely that material about any marginalized group written by a person from the dominant culture would be considered acceptable. Yet, at this point in time, some such sources are widely circulated, despite the fact that their authors are functioning beyond their scope, advancing information that is partial or erroneous or, otherwise, advancing antisemitic narratives.

To make the matter more severe, BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) campaigns on campus are creating an atmosphere that is hostile and intimidating for Jewish students on campus. Several students discussed the difficult climate and a need to hide their Jewish identity. This feedback aligns with findings of a recent survey,16 which reported that nearly two-thirds of Jewish students feel unsafe on college campuses and have to hide their Jewish identity.

There is a long history of hate, intimidation, and discrimination against Jewish students as a result of BDS campaigns on campus. Multiple studies 17 have shown how these anti-Israel campaigns make campuses more hostile 18 towards Jewish students. In one example, in 2021, a man who had promoted a BDS campaign as a student at Concordia University was arrested19 for committing an antisemitic hate crime. He vandalized a Montreal synagogue with swastikas and tried to burn it down.

Holocaust survivor and educator Irving Roth routinely taught that the genocide of the Jews in the Holocaust was the culmination of a series of steps designed to “dehumanize the other.” The first step involved boycotting Jewish businesses. On this theme, Jessica Marcuzzo, director of

Christians United for Israel on Campus and director of education, reflected,

It starts so much smaller and hidden than everybody thinks. It wasn’t a decision—at that time—of “Do I tell the Gestapo where my Jewish neighbor is hiding?” It was “Do I do business now with my Jewish neighbor when it’s no longer socially acceptable, when they are wearing a Jewish star?” [It is important for people to understand] it started with very small decisions. . . .

In the past years, watching the ongoing vilification of Israel and the unfolding of a world-wide boycott, Roth asserted: “The playbook used by Nazi Germany, developed by the chief propaganda minister Goebbels, is in full use today.” Seeing the implementation of boycotts, seeing Jews hide their Jewishness, seeing the increasing isolation of the Jews, he feared for the future.20

In this current climate, social work, which routinely supports the marginalized, should support Jews, the religious minority that is most targeted with hate. In fact, in 2021, the International Association of Schools of Social Work rejected efforts from some members to pass a motion endorsing the BDS movement against Israel and banning Israeli academics.21 Yet, on the basis of findings generated so far in this study, it would appear that at least some social work schools are indifferent to the problems facing Jewish students on campus.

Rebecca Katzman informed the interviewer that at her school the most passionate activists promoting BDS activities on campus were students in the social work department. Professors or students that advance one-sided partisan accounts of the Middle-East crisis may be fomenting anti-Jewish sentiment and, functionally, stoking Jew-hatred on campuses.

A sum total effect of all the points above: students are confronting antisemitism in their programs, both in incidents that occur and via omissions such as the absence of antisemitism as

a topic within the curriculum, or within Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshops.

Commenting on antisemitism in her former school, Student B said, “Unless you are in the walls of [that school], you would never believe this is what goes on in this place.” Student B was given an article published in The Journal for the Study of Anti-Semitism by a University of Toronto professor22 who documented antisemitism in that university’s social work department. About that article, she said:

Ernie [Lightman] so eloquently put into words the sinister under-handedness about how antisemitism rears its head in social work, at the University of Toronto, in particular. It’s fascinating. You won’t get it until you read it. Everyone is complicit. He wrote this article and retired.23

She urged the researcher to read this article and sent a copy of it.

Student C turned to Jewish faculty at her school to discuss the school’s lack of responsiveness in dealing with an antisemitic incident, and summarized the feedback: “There’s a general feeling of helplessness, in terms of the Jewish faculty that I reached out to about it. They were not surprised about the incident, whatsoever.” This student was informed by Jewish faculty that antisemitism is, otherwise, routinely excluded from the curriculum and that other problematic incidents, which occurred in the past, had not been addressed in a satisfactory manner.

DISCUSSION

This research project will continue to investigate the situation facing Jewish social work students in Canada but the findings generated in this preliminary study would seem, at a minimum, to echo the assertion of Cox who writes, “Social work, with its mandate to promote social justice and human rights and challenge oppression, cannot ignore anti-semitism and its impact on individuals and societies. However, the subject is basically ignored in the curriculum.”24

According to the reports we received, antisemitism is not discussed in the curriculum. This omission, then, does nothing to help social work students understand Jewish identity, leaving students in the dark, relative to understanding and dealing with Jewish clients. 25 Further, if social work programs are focused on fighting white supremacy then they should focus on fighting antisemitism; antisemitic conspiracy theories are central to white supremacist ideology. Most of the classic antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes we see being used today, regardless of their source, are those that are foundational within white supremacy movements.

A recent incident might indicate that antisemitism is not on the radar of some Ontario social workers, a possible consequence when the study of antisemitism is not taught in schools. Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAST) initially took a stand against antisemitism when the Jewish Family & Child Service (JF&CS) posted on social media about skyrocketing rates of Jew hatred. CAST subsequently retracted the expression of support and apologized for having extended it! When JF&CS expressed, in the strongest terms, concern about their retraction, CAST apologized, once again reiterating their condemnation of antisemitism.

The puzzling CAST retraction, which was reported on the JF&CS Facebook page, would seem to indicate confusion regarding whether antisemitism ought to be considered relative to oppression.xxix For the record, CAST has subsequently sought training for staff who are now better equipped to understand antisemitism.

Arguably, when social work fails to acknowledge the reality of antisemitism, it’s a short skip, step, and jump to a radicalized curriculum. Historically, Jews are blamed for whatever the current societal evil: capitalism, communism, spreading plagues, wildfires in California, unsolved murders, even blamed for the 9/11 attacks—by Amiri Baraka, the Poet Laureate of New Jersey. 29 At this current moment, the acknowledged evil is colonialism, and, despite a well-documented relationship to the Jewish

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

homeland that has lasted over three thousand years, some social work sources refer to Israel as a settler-colonial state and present the MiddleEast conflict in simplistic terms, vilifying Israelis and Jews.

In this environment, Jewish social work students, like many other Jews on campus, may feel a need to hide any affiliation with Israel and their religion. Some may have difficulty with an academic culture that rejects and vilifies JudeoChristian values. Jewish students may be subject to highly politicized partisan readings or course content.

Problems for Jews in social work are now a focus in other regions, as well. In the United States, Dr. Carole Cox and Dr. Dana Marlowe, social work professors at Fordham University, have organized a Jewish special interest group through the National Association of Social Work (NASW) specifically to deal with antisemitism in the field. Hearing reports from various students and former students, these professors initiated a study, in cooperation with the NASW, surveying reports of antisemitism experienced by social workers and students (“Assessing the Impact of Antisemitism in Social Work”). They have received more than 500 submissions. In a recent meeting of the group, 30 Dr. Cox reflected, “Antisemitism is very much alive in social work, both in the community and in the classroom.” They are currently analyzing their data.

Antisemitism in the field has been investigated by Greene and Paul who analyzed the twitter feeds of 741 DEI personnel at forty-five US universities. In their 2021 article, “Inclusion Delusion: The Antisemitism of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,”31 the researchers suggested DEI staff express anti-Israel attitudes, which are so out of proportion and imbalanced, that they, functionally speaking, vilify the Jewish people much like the antisemites of old, easily constituting antisemitism.

While the latter research pertains to the United States, in Canada, the government hired Laith Marouf’s Community Media Advocacy

Centre to facilitate “Building an Anti-Racism Strategy for Canadian Broadcasting” programs.32 On Twitter, Marouf referred to “loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists,”33 and asserted “Life is too short for . . . entertaining Jewish white supremacists with anything but a bullet to the head,” among other hostile and crude epitaphs.34 The government has now suspended further funding for these programs.35

Regarding Marouf: on the basis of the various reports discussed herein, the authors conjecture that this is not a case of “one bad apple.” The field, itself, seems subject to antisemitism, perhaps explaining why the study of Jew hatred is routinely omitted from DEI courses or workshops, as per recent reports, when other forms of prejudice are addressed in depth.

In response to rising rates of antisemitism, Canada has established a now permanent Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. 36 The US Department of State, similarly, has established a special envoy to combat antisemitism. Our field requires practitioners to be self-reflexive and to explore implicit bias—but, seemingly, not when it comes to antisemitism. The preliminary findings of this research point to blind spots—pronounced and consequential—relative to antisemitism. The problems can play out in a range of ways, according to reports by the research participants who have come forward, so far.

To date, the social work profession has not adequately addressed what would seem to be a systemic and ongoing problem.37 If these preliminary findings are indicative of what we will continue to see as we interview students and former students, the field may be perpetuating antisemitism on an intermittent but ongoing basis; social workers may be making claims that lack basis and potentially infringing on the rights of others; also, a generation of social work students would, it would seem, be deprived of education about antisemitism as we see it today, and its history.

ADDENDUM

The publishing timeline associated with this journal submission afforded an opportunity to share a first draft of these findings with three Canadian social work bodies. This was done to encourage affirmative action and to gauge the responsiveness of local social work bodies to the above-mentioned concerns. Our efforts were met with mixed results.

At the time of this writing, the Canadian Association for Social Work Education, responsible for accrediting social work programs in Canada, has neither responded nor acknowledged receipt of the preliminary findings sent to their executive director. If advocacy efforts are successful, this body could require accredited social work schools to teach about antisemitism.

The Ontario College of Social Work and Social Service Work responded to the report, reiterating their commitment to study antisemitism within the context of its recently established DEI Task Force. The college had initially omitted antisemitism from the agenda but changed course when the issue was brought to their attention; in good faith, they have begun covering the topic. It is hoped that the college will address concerns mentioned herein when revising its Code of Ethics, currently underway. Despite the above, the Rgistrar/CEO’s response was, simultaneously, troubling. Lise Betteridge advised that the college is tasked to serve and protect the public interest, and is not responsible for training social workers. Yet, the college routinely establishes required readings within the context of the yearly Continuing Competency Program for social workers who maintain registration.

By way of example, last year Ontario social workers were required to read “Ethical and Competent Responses to Anti-Black Racism,” co-authored by the College's Director of Professional Practice. Given the current void in social work education relative to antisemitism, an equivalent reading, “ethical and competent responses to antisemitism,” would seem within

the purview of the college. Such a reading would help Ontario social workers achieve competency and better understanding relative to this social ill, especially important when we read reports of antisemitic tweets from anti-racism facilitators (as above) and, otherwise, find potential signs of systemic antisemitism in these preliminary findings and other sources referenced earlier. A college that fully deploys efforts when fighting anti-black racism, while failing to avail the same efforts relative to another form of hate, is troubling.

Finally, the immediate and athletic response of the Ontario Association of Social Work to the report they received resulted in a two-hour workshop for members, offered within a few short months of meeting with the author about the concerns described herein. The workshop, led by psychologist and human rights consultant Karen Mock, was entitled, “Affirming Jewish Identities and Dismantling Antisemitism.” It introduced complexities pertaining to Jewish identity, presented Zionism, and demonstrated powerful examples of the types of antisemitism that are prevalent in these times. The scope was wide and ambitious. Jewish social workers noticed: their professional association has begun to address the problem. The association is offering several further workshops to address antisemitism.

This workshop was an excellent first step. There was a need to provide introductory material about a range of topics, necessarily devoid of great depth. That very real challenge, notwithstanding, resulted in a strong first effort. Certain information, though, was initially omitted when positioning the State of Israel and the topic of Zionism, which were covered more fully in a follow-up presentation.38 Since some omissions can feed into and reinforce the harmful accusation that Israel and the Jewish collective are guilty of colonialism, this topic must be addressed here, to guide social work bodies around the world in their efforts to properly train social workers.

The accusation of colonialism is repeated with some frequency in social work lectures or

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

readings. Therefore, we must point out important particulars when teaching about Zionism and the State of Israel. Presentations must establish the basis of the Jewish claim to the land, the indigeneity of the Jews to the land, and detail the cause of the Jewish exile from the land. The religious significance of the land including its status of “promised land” as per the Hebrew Bible, should be discussed. When discussing the historical Jewish presence in the land, mention must be made of the Roman Empire: their brutal occupation of the land, their persecution and enslavement of the Jews, their destruction of the temple, their exile of the majority of the Jews from the land of Israel.

Presentations must represent the centrality of the land of Israel in Jewish consciousness as an intrinsic and long-standing facet of Jewish identity. While the term “Zionism” was coined in the 1800s and is based on the word “Zion,” which appears in the Torah and refers to the Jewish land, the idea represented by Zionism, the Jewish right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland and the yearning to return to that homeland, dates back to antiquity, as expressed in Psalm 137, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.” Presentations should relay (as was relayed in the OASW presentation) that most Jews believe in the reality of Israel as the fulfillment of self-determination for the Jewish people and feel a commitment to the land.

To be optimally helpful, a presentation must make sure to speak to the accusation of colonialism, one of the issues most prevalent on the ground. Presentations should help equip social

REFERENCES

workers to counter epitaphs such as those that were posted on Instagram by a licensed Pennsylvania social worker: “Death to colonialism means the end of Zionism. . . . It means the destruction of statehood, walls and borders. . . .”39

In upcoming workshops, in Ontario, as well as other localities, it is essential to clearly demonstrate that Israel and Zionism are concepts integral to, and found throughout, Judaism. It will be important to educate about a) the legal, historical, and religious bases for the Jewish homeland and b) to establish that even if some Jews are not Zionists, there is no Judaism without Zionism.

When social workers demonize, dehumanize, and attack Zionists, they are demonizing, dehumanizing, and attacking a majority of Jews. Those who are attempting to combat antisemitism must take this into account. Those who are trying to redress misconceptions that have maligned the Jewish people, must tackle the egregious claim that has found a home in the social work field: the claim that the Jewish nation is predicated on colonialism.

We must continue to encourage the social work profession to educate about antisemitism in its various forms and from all sources. We appreciate that the social work field is undertaking self-reflexive practice relative to antisemitism, appreciate the signs of change and efforts to self-correct, and encourage further action to address the ongoing disregard for a minority voice. We can look forward to a social work environment that is truly inclusive of all ethnicities, religions and backgrounds.

1 Aaron Bandler, “Hunter College Zoom Lecture Turns into Pro-Palestinian Protest,” Jewish Journal, June 11, 2021, https://jewishjournal.com/news/337640/hunter-college-cuny-zoom-lecture-turns-into-pro-palestinian-protest; Ernie Lightman, “Antisemitism at the University of Toronto,” Journal for the Study of Antisemitism 2, no. 2 (2010); Sue Ann Levy, “Jewish Ryerson Student Felt Targeted Over Placement Request,” Toronto Sun, May 28, 2017, https:// torontosun.com/2017/05/28/jewish-ryerson-student-felt-targeted-over-placement-request.

2 This project has been sponsored by the following organizations: Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (primary sponsor), StandWithUs Canada, Hasbara Fellowships Canada, Doctors against Racism & Antisemitism, and the Alpha-Omega Dental Fraternity, Toronto Chapter

3 This project is undertaken in loving memory of Lillian Prager Levy, z’’l, social worker, community leader, alumni of what would later become University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. In keeping with her lifelong concern for student welfare, the student lounge at that social work school bears a plaque in her memory. Now, in her memory, some of her family members are exploring the status and situation of Jews undertaking social work education, particularly relating to equity and inclusion.

4 These students attended schools in Ontario. In fact, eight of the nine participants attended schools in this province.

5 Recruitment is still underway. More are expected to come forward.

6 Most students have been skittish and ambivalent about coming forward to participate in this research. Besides the one that disengaged midstream, others expressed hesitation and concern. One participated fully but when it was time to sign off on her research report, she had fears about her story being shared. The student later commented, “I apologize for the roller coaster here. I think it speaks to the research you are conducting and how I felt silenced in school to speak up about being Jewish, I worry that for some reason my opinions would be considered ‘cancel culture’ worthy.” Since Jews on campus are often “canceled” for no other reason than their Jewishness, this respondent’s reaction is understandable.

7 This student chooses to attend Yeshiva University’s social work school, a private Jewish program, in order to avoid the antisemitism that characterized her undergraduate social work training. She explained: “I’m exhausted.”

8 For the protection of participants, it has been necessary to change some details to prevent recognition. In the review of each report, students would occasionally request slight alteration of details. In all cases, these changes do not alter the gist of participants’ feedback.

9 Two students reported that they were the first Jews that certain peers had ever met. When antisemitism isn’t taught in the curriculum, social work programs are potentially burdening Jewish students with the task of educating others about the hate and discrimination Jews experience. The more familiar protocol, relative to teaching other forms of discrimination, is to hold faculty and institutions accountable for doing this task or requiring students to educate themselves. These two students reported that they functioned as ambassadors, educating their peers on various occasions.

10 Alexis Lerner, “2021 Survey of North American Teens on the Holocaust and Antisemitism. Ontario: Liberation75” (2021), https://www.liberation75.org/survey.

11 For the record, this fieldwork officer offered the possibility of the placement if the student agreed to perform activism at that setting for the Palestinian cause. The student declined this so-called accommodation and accepted a different placement instead. This incident has received generous coverage in the mainstream and Jewish press and evidences the systemic impulse we see in social work to cancel Jews for any stated affiliation with the Jewish state, one of the most important findings of this study so far.

12 Robert Brym, Keith Neuman, and Rhonda Lenton, “2018 Survey of Jews in Canada: Final Report” (Toronto: Environics Institute of Canada, 2018), https://www.environicsinstitute.org/docs/default-source/project-documents/2018survey-of-jews-in-canada/2018-survey-of-jews-in-canada---final-report.pdf?sfvrsn=2994ef6_2.

13 By way of example: a licensed Pennsylvania social worker shared an Instagram post that qualifies as classic antisemitism. The post read: “Death to colonialism means the end of Zionism. It means a free Palestine. It means land back. It means the destruction of statehood, walls and borders. It means the end of apartheid, police and any other tools of the colonizer.” In another post, this social worker threatened to dox Zionists who pointed out the antisemitic nature of these posts. The Jewish community activated, filed complaints against the license for dozens of antisemitic posts. All were removed in short order.

14 Harsha Walia, Undoing Border Imperialism (Washington, DC: AK Press, 2013).

15 Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2021).

16 Jewish News Syndicate, “Survey Finds Nearly Two-Thirds of Jewish Students Feel Unsafe, Half Hide Identity,” 2021, https://www.jns.org/survey-finds-nearly-two-thirds-of-jewish-students-feel-unsafe-half-hide-identity.

17 Leonard Saxe et al., Antisemitism & the College Campus: Perceptions and Realities (Waltham: Brandeis University, Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, 2015), https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/

Annette Poizner with Stacey Love and Andria Spindel et al.

antisemcampus2015.pdf. See also “Life on Campus,” Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis Univeristy, https://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/research/campus-studies.html.

18 Leila Beckwith and Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, “The Harassment of Jewish Students on U.S. Campuses: How Eliminationist Anti-Zionism and Academic BDS Incite Campus Antisemitism,” Amcha International, 2019, https:// amchainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Eliminationist-Anti-Zionism-and-Academic-BDS-on-CampusReport.pdf.

19 Paul Cherry, “Man Arrested at Vandalized Westmount Synagogue Will Have Psychiatric Evaluation,” Montreal Gazette, January 15, 2021, https://montrealgazette.com/news/man-arrested-at-vandalized-westmount-synaigogue-will-have-psychiatric-evaluation.

20 “Irving’s Final Warning,” Christians United for Israel, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35lXuuAVqAM.

21 Pierre Dion, “Social Work Schools Group Rejects Effort to Boycott Israel, Adopts Call for Peace in ‘Huge Loss’ for BDS,” The Algemeiner, June 17, 2021, https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/06/17/social-work-schools-group-rejects-effortto-boycott-israel-adopts-call-for-peace-in-huge-loss-for-bds.

22 Lightman, “Antisemitism at the University of Toronto.”

23 Dr. Lightman retired shortly thereafter as he no longer wanted to work in a place where antisemitism was condoned and where Jewish students could not feel safe.

24 Carole Cox, “Addressing Anti-Semitism in Social Work Education,” Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought 40, no. 2 (2021): 111–125, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Addressing-anti-semitism-insocial-work-education-Cox/a4a8236232e45f4426af50e408e0766df2e7fb1c.

25 To clarify: Judaism is not just a religion, Judaism is also an ethnicity. This is why scholars describe Judaism as an ethnoreligious nation or community because describing Judaism as just a religion or just an ethnicity is inaccurate and fails to encompass what a Jew is and can be. This is important in the case of antisemitism because Judaism is often misconstrued as just a religion, which is often where failure to address antisemitism completely or at all can stem from, particularly on the left, because it is only treated as religion-based hate and discrimination, rather than religion-, ethnicity- or race-, and politics-based hate and discrimination.

26 Jewish Family and Children Services, Facebook, June 7, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/JFCSorg/.

27 Another recent indicator: Ryerson University (now called Metropolitan Toronto University) published an ad listing the various forms of oppression this institution combats. While documenting its fight against agism, homophobia, racism, anti-Asian hate, misogyny, Islamophobia, and other forms of prejudice and colonialism, antisemitism was omitted from the list This omission somehow eluded the university, TDBank (the corporate sponsor), and the DEI departments of both these auspicious organizations. Activists announced this omission on social media, and challenged the authenticity of the apology about the omission given that this school’s social work school does not include the study of antisemitism in the curriculum. The social work school’s switchboard was deluged by angry calls from the Jewish community.

28 Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “Amiri Baraka, Black Poet Condemned as Anti-Semitic, Dies,” The Jerusalem Post, January 10, 2014, https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Amiri-Baraka-black-poet-condemned-as-anti-Semitic-dies-337808.

29 National Association of Social Work, NYS Chapter, 2021, “Antisemitism: Implications for Social Work Involvement,” filmed September 4, 2021, Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th66-MFf3Og&t=2834s.

30 Jay Greene and James Paul, “Inclusion Delusion: The Antisemitism of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Staff at Universities,” Backgrounder, December 8, 2021, https://www.heritage.org/education/report/inclusion-deluesion-the-antisemitism-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-staff.

31 “Initiatives,” Community Media Advocacy Center, https://www.cmacentre.ca/initiatives/.

32 Here is the full quote, so readers can see the antizionism tie-in: “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they come from, they will return to being low voiced [expletive] of [their] Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters.”

33 United with Israel Staff, “No Funding for You! Jew-Hater Costs ‘Anti-Racism’ Group Fat Grants,” August 24, 2022, https:// unitedwithisrael.org/no-funding-for-you-jew-hater-costs-anti-racism-group-fat-grants.

34 Peter Zimonjic, “Liberal Government Cuts Funding, Suspends Anti-Racism Group’s Project after Tweets,” CBC News, August 22, 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hussen-tweets-contract-cancelled-1.6558541.

35 Irwin Cotler has assumed that position.

36 Note that the problem was initially identified twenty years ago, with no action or remediation take in the intermediary years. See Steven Soifer, “Infusing Content about Jews and about Anti-Semitism into the Curricula,” Journal of Social Work Education 27, no. 2 (Spring–Summer 1991): 156–167, https://www.jstor.org/stable/23043154.

37 The OASW has organized a series of workshops on antisemitism, inviting input from participants in an effort to meet the needs of its Jewish members and the Jewish community, more generally. The North American social work field can take leadership from Ontario's social work association and would do well to undertake similarly athletic efforts to address the problem.

38 Members of the Jewish community registered complaints against this social worker’s license and this and other offensive posts were removed in short order.