From the Desk of Naomi Rosenfeld: Combatting Antisemitism in Atlantic Canada

Since our last edition of Shalom Magazine was published, we have seen a disturbing rise of antisemitism in Atlantic Canada the likes of which we have never seen before. While this onslaught of antisemitic incidents was surely instigated by the 11-day conflict in May between Israel and Hamas, these incidents far surpass what can be considered legitimate criticism of Israel. Even worse, they did not end with the resolution of the violence in the region. When speaking of these antisemitic incidents, I find it useful to sort them into two categories: overt antisemitism and subtle antisemitism.

Incidents of overt antisemitism are those that we have written about in the media and those that we have reported to the police. These acts are astonishing in their boldness. Over the last few months, we have seen the following examples of overt antisemitism:

• Horrific images of Hitler and the Holocaust posted on social media with captions like “now I know why Hitler did that,” and “Hitler made a huge mistake leaving (any Jews) alive”;

• Comments on social media such as: “I have no idea why Hitler didn’t burn all [Jews] and wipe you out of existence”;

• Signs and chants at multiple rallies proudly proclaiming “From the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, Palestine will be free”;

• Local Jewish-owned businesses targeted for boycott and their advertisements targeted for vandalism with Nazi imagery;

• Public property, such as schools and sidewalks, defaced with Nazi imagery and phrases such as “Zionism is genocide”;

• Visibly identifiable Jewish community members verbally harassed;

• The windows of a synagogue purposefully shattered;

• Death threats made towards community members solely because they are Jewish.

However, for every single incident of over antisemtism, there were several incidents of subtle antisemitism. These incidents, while not nearly as brazen as their counterparts, are in fact more worrisome to me. They exemplify the changing nature of antisemitism in the culture around us. They are harder to identify, and thus harder to fight. They can be summarized as all resulting in one thing: Fear—fear of identifying or being identified as Israeli, Zionist, or even Jewish, causing people to hide outward symbols of their identity– kippahs, magen-David necklaces, and mezuzahs; fear of political, economic, or reputational retribution keeping people silent; and fear for emotional and psychological safety, causing community members to stay away from what should be safe spaces. Over the last few months, we have seen the following examples of subtle antisemitism:

• Posts comparing Jews and Israelis to Nazis all over social media;

• The use of terms such as “white supremacy,” “settler colonialism,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “apartheid” to refer to Israel in the media and educational settings;

• Progressive organizations barring selfidentified Zionists from participation;

• One-sided statements from community organizations and university student unions that place 100% of the blame for the Arab-Israeli conflict on Israel, and do not acknowledge the role of terrorist organizations such as Hamas or suffering incurred by Israelis;

• An Atlantic Canadian MP tweeting about the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas by saying “there are no two sides to this conflict, only human rights abuses”;

• The publishing of an op-ed in a prominent Atlantic Canadian newspaper claiming that our lived experiences of antisemitism were “a deliberate distraction” from Israeli indiscretions.

Here at the AJC, we take our role in combating antisemitism seriously. As we were made aware of each of these antisemitic incidents—whether overt or subtle—the AJC took swift action: we helped facilitate the appropriate police reports, we ensured that any physical damage to property was quickly rectified, we worked to support Jewish business owners who had been targeted, we published op-eds and letters to the editor, we explained our concerns to ministries of education, principals, heads of school boards, businesses, student unions, and community organizations responsible for these incidents.

However, we know that we need to be proactive—not just reactive—in our fight against antisemitism.

That is why, over the last several months, we have also met with elected officials from all levels of government across our entire region, educating them on the serious nature of antisemitism. In Nova Scotia, in anticipation of the recent elections, we met with the leaders of all three major political parties: the Honourable Gary Burrill, New Democratic Party; the Honourable Tim Houston, Progressive Conservative Party; and the Honourable Premier Iain Rankin, Liberal Party. At each of these meetings, we advocated for the following priorities for the next Nova Scotian government: adopting the IHRA Definition of antisemitism, increasing antisemitism education and Holocaust Education in the Nova Scotia school system, and including the Nova Scotian Jewish community in all anti-racism initiatives. Finally, on behalf of our community, I was proud to provide testimony to the federal government at the recent National Summit on Antisemitism. During my testimony, I illustrated the types of antisemitism facing our Jewish community here in Atlantic Canada and proposed concrete solutions that our government can take.

While there remains much work to do to combat antisemitism, I am confident that the AJC is well-positioned and ready to take on this challenge. Here’s hoping for a sweet, healthy, and antisemitism-free 5782.

Shana Tova!