Editor’s note: In a previous article from last month’s issue, “‘Opt out of the CFS,’ urge Jewish organizations,” the author of the article had previous connections to organizations that were cited in the article.
The article neglected to mention this fact, and appropriately address the sensitive nature of the topic.
The Charlatan regrets the error. More information can be found here.
A campaign headed by four Jewish organizations calls on Ontario students to opt-out of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).
The boycott is being called due to CFS’ support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
The CFS passed a motion supporting the BDS movement at its annual general meeting in November.
BDS is supported by a collective of international governments. It serves to combat illegal settlements on Palestinian lands and violence against Palestine, which are supported by the Israeli government. It does this by introducing economic sanctions and measures against some businesses and government organizations in Israel.
“Student tuition should go to programs that bring people together, not divide apart.” – Seth Kerzner, a Jewish student at the University of Ottawa
Last month, B’nai Brith Canada, StandWithUs Canada, Hasbara Fellowships Canada, and Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity released a letter calling on Ontario university students to opt-out of paying dues to CFS.
“It’s time for Jewish students to fight back against those who would take their hard-earned money and then use it against them and their cousins in the Land of Israel,” reads the letter, which also provides instructions on how students can opt-out.
Seth Kerzner, a Jewish student at the University of Ottawa, said he will be opting out of CFS because it promotes divisive policies, which he deems inappropriate for an organization that claims to support all students.
“It can make students feel afraid to share their own views on campus, as though their views don’t matter and aren’t recognized,” he said. “Student tuition should go to programs that bring people together, not divide apart.”
The CFS’ support of the BDS campaign isolates Jewish students on campus, which is inherently anti-Semitic, Kerzner added.
“It isn’t right that student money goes to divisive political causes, especially considering that our diverse campus is full of students that hold a wide range of political views,” he said.
“BDS is a bigoted and anti-Semitic movement with the goal of the destruction of the only Jewish state,” Rebecca Katzman, campus director at StandWithUs Canada, said.
According to Katzman, CFS falsely claims they condemn anti-Semitism, due to a history of hypocritical action.
“It is hypocritical for the CFS to determine what is anti-Semitism, when Jewish and pro-Israel students are the only community not permitted to define their own oppression,” she said.
“If the CFS cared about Palestinians, they would be pushing peace initiatives instead of a bigoted, intolerant agenda that marginalizes Jewish students.” – Rebecca Katzman, campus director at StandWithUs Canada
Hillel Ontario also supports the opt-out campaign, said Ilan Orzy, their director of advocacy and issues management.
“The CFS has a history of corruption and mismanagement, and many campuses have held referendums over the past several years to leave the CFS due to these and other related issues,” he said. “It is becoming more apparent that the CFS does not have the trust of the students they pretend to serve.”
The BDS movement is also guilty of misrepresenting their intentions, Orzy added.
“While this movement claims to support Palestinian human rights, anyone who takes a deeper dive will see that the victories they claim are not really victories in favour of the Palestinian people, they’re simply victories against Israelis.”
Katzman remembered when she was a student at Ryerson University, and her student union passed a BDS resolution which made her feel unsafe on campus.
“The result was that the student government felt empowered to bring antisemitic speakers to campus and organized workshops that supported the boycott of Israeli products. Jewish students felt targeted and vulnerable.”
Katzman voiced her fears that by supporting the CFS, this could be the case for Jewish students across Ontario.
“Their campus atmosphere forced them to be afraid of being identified as Jewish. In fact, there are studies that have shown campuses that boycott Israel see a rise in anti-Semitic acts of vandalism and [hate] expression,” she added.
Afnan Abusheika, a third-year communications student at Carleton, said she does not see the BDS movement as anti-Semetic, but rather one that upholds human rights and international law.
“BDS has been accused of being anti-Semitic . . . they’re not related to any terrorist group, nor to the Palestinian government, nor the Israeli government or the military groups of Israel. They’re not related to any side, they’re only involved in the economic sanction and boycott of Israel until it adheres to the international law,” she said.
“If we criticize Turkey, for example, for the human rights violations in prisons, we are not Islamophobic. It’s a majority Muslim country. No Muslim has ever called a criticizer of Turkey to be homophobic, because a lot of Muslims criticize Turkey.”
“They shouldn’t be paired together—to criticize Israel and to be anti-Semitic.” – Afnan Abusheika, third-year communications student at Carleton
The CFS claims to condemn anti-Semitism according to a statement on their website from November. They did not respond to media requests from the Charlatan.
–With files from Bailey Moreton.
Featured image from file.
