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RABBI STEINMETZ IN MONTREAL TO
FSWC:
“ANY ACT OF ANTISEMITISM IS INTOLERABLE”
Further to the acts of violence against the Jewish community in Montreal earlier
this week, FSWC spoke with Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation
Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem in Cote St. Luc, Quebec, whose synagogue was one
of five targeted by vandalism. Here’s what he had to say about the incident.
FSWC:
Media reports on this story indicate there have been other acts of minor
violence that have gone unreported in the press. Why?
Rabbi Steinmetz:
When there is vandalism there is a reluctance to go to the press because there
is a fear of copycat incidents. As a community we are not always comfortable
running forward with every incident and there’s been a certain amount of
judgment being exercised because we don’t want to encourage copycats. However,
these particular incidents demonstrate a certain level of sophistication, and we
felt it was time to go to the press and make some noise.
FSWC:
Is the situation for the Jewish community in Montreal deteriorating?
Rabbi Steinmetz:
The honest truth is that the situation for the Jewish community in Montreal is
not bad. People are not getting harassed or beaten up in the streets. There has
been a rash of vandalism but essentially things are like they were five or ten
years ago; there hasn’t been a dramatic change. However, even if it's not worse
than 10 years ago, as Jews and Canadians, we know that any act of antisemitism
is intolerable. And sadly, antisemitism can spread when men of good conscience
remain silent.
FSWC:
Are there any other issues the community is currently facing?
Rabbi Steinmetz:
The only other incident we are dealing with concerns the Member of the Quebec
National Assembly- Amir Khadir who supports and continues to boycott a merchant
on St. Denis for selling Israeli footwear. It’s awful what these people are
doing to him – they are looking for the smallest victory over Israel, and yet
there has been a huge backlash in the French press against this boycott attempt.
Yves Archambault, owner of Le Marcheur, has shown so much backbone and the
entire French media has backed him up, so that’s been rather good. Although
there really isn’t a feeling of great discomfort here, and even if the French
media has attacked Mr. Khadir's protests outside Le Marcheur, I believe we as a
community must stand up for the store's owners. We must show our gratitude for
our friends.
FSWC:
Has the wider Quebec community offered any words of support?
Rabbi Steinmetz:
People are still trying to figure out what’s happened. I have received so many
gestures of support, phone calls and emails all day and all night from
Ministers, Priests and Imams, and from Jason Kenney and Michael Ignatieff, as
well as from Irwin Cotler, who is a member of the synagogue. Jean Charest has
also been very supportive so I would say these incidents have received a
terrific response.
CLICK HERE to read FSWC’s Call to Action after the attack in a Global TV article
FROM MONTREAL TO TUNISIA, TORONTO GAY PRIDE AND AHAVA TO NAZIS IN CANADA AND
SARAH PALIN, FSWC PRESIDENT AND CEO AVI BENLOLO WEIGHS IN
Each week Avi Benlolo discusses FSWC’s stand on events happening in Canada and
around the world in One on One with Avi Benlolo. Here’s a sample of this
week’s issues:
Q.
Rumours about a boycott of Israeli based Ahava skincare products by The Bay
continue to circulate within the Jewish community, despite clear statements made
by the Bay President and CEO that there is no boycott. How can we deal with this
rumour, and how can we prevent similar situations from occurring in the future?
A.
These rumours only serve the interests of the anti-Israel groups that wish to
delegitimize the Jewish state and the longer they are kept alive, even by people
of good will who are concerned for Israel, the more pervasive the ideas of the
delegitimizers become. We can only work with absolute facts and documentation
and evidence: both Ahava and the Bay have told us the product has not been
boycotted, and for that we should feel both reassured and proud that a major
corporate organization is in fact supporting the state of Israel.
Q.
What do you make of Sarah Palin’s use of the term ‘blood libel’?
A. The Simon Wiesenthal Center has denounced Sarah Palin’s use of the
term “blood libel” to attack the media’s response to the horrific shootings at
Tucson this past weekend. According to Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of
the Wiesenthal Center, “It is simply inappropriate to compare current American
politics with a term that was used by Christians to persecute Jews. She has
every right to criticize journalists without going over the top,” he said.
CLICK HERE to read the full
text of One on One with Avi Benlolo
SWC: CONGRESSMAN COHEN INVOKING NAZI COMPARISONS TO REPUBLICANS, DEBASES PUBLIC
DISCOURSE AND THE TRUE LESSONS FROM NAZI ERA
January 20, 2011 -
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, denounced U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN)
for comparing Republican opponents of President Obama’s Health Care reforms to
‘Big Lie’ Nazi tactics used by Joseph Goebbels and labeling Republican claims a
“blood libel.”
“The inappropriate and outrageous invoking of Nazi imagery by any elected
official debases public discourse in our democracy, insults the memory of the
victims of the Third Reich and obscures the true lessons that need to be learned
from the Nazi era,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper Associate Dean of the Simon
Wiesenthal Center. “Congressman Cohen joins a growing line of people from both
sides of the political divide who inappropriately invoke the ‘Nazi card.’ It was
a mistake to do so and shameful that he has refused to apologize.”
CLICK HERE to read the full release
WIESENTHAL CENTER 2010 ANNUAL STATUS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS REMARKABLE RISE IN NUMBER
OF INDICTMENTS AND NEW AND ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS OF NAZI WAR CRIMINALS
January 13, 2011 - Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today officially
released its
2010 Annual Status Report on the worldwide investigation and prosecution of Nazi
war criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2009 to March
31, 2010.
Among the highlights of the report are:
1. a dramatic increase of over 300% in the number of indictments filed from five
to twenty-one, the highest figure in the past decade;
2. a remarkable increase in the number of new investigations opened from three
hundred and fifteen to four hundred and fifty-six, with Germany more than
tripling the number of new cases initiated;
3. a significant increase in the number of ongoing investigations from seven
hundred and six to eight hundred and fifty two, with Germany increasing its
figure almost six-fold.
CLICK HERE to read the full release
HIGH SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY STUDENTS- TAKE NOTE!
FSWC LAUNCHES NEW SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
As part of our mandate to promote tolerance and social justice at all levels of
society, FSWC is committed to helping students advance these values through the
funding of scholarships at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
High School Students Entering University
FSWC is offering three scholarships for high school student leaders who carry on
Simon Wiesenthal’s legacy of tolerance, justice and human rights through their
volunteer commitments and academic pursuits. The scholarships, valued at $1000,
$500 and $250 will be awarded to students pursuing secondary education in
Canada. Scholarship recipients will be announced in the spring of 2011. For
further information contact FSWC Director of
Education
Melissa Mikel at (416) 864-9735 x 24.
CLICK HERE for details of the scholarship and the application form
Post Graduate Studies
FSWC is offering five graduate scholarships of $1,000 each to students pursuing
a Masters or Doctoral degree. The successful applicants will have
identified a commitment to authentic research that supports and promotes the
legitimate rights and aspirations of Israel and the Jewish people. The
application deadline is Friday, March 25, 2011. For further information contact
FSWC Director of
Education
Melissa Mikel at (416) 864-9735 x 24.
CLICK HERE for details of the scholarship and the application form
ASSAULT AND RESCUE: OPERATION THUNDERBALL AIRING THIS MONTH ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL
In
June 1976, Air France Flight 139 from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by a group
of Palestinian and German terrorists and flown to Entebbe, Uganda. While the
terrorists eventually released all the non-Jewish hostages, the Israeli Defense
Force (IDF) mounted ‘Operation Thunderball’, one of history’s most complex and
daring rescue missions, to save the more than 100 remaining captives.
Nearly 35 years later, Canadian production company Frantic Films explores this
incredible accomplishment in ‘Assault and Rescue: Operation Thunderball’.
According to FSWC donor and Chair of Frantic Films, Brad Ashley, “This pilot
analyzes the tactics considered and/or used in the Entebbe rescue – from the
perspective of the actual members of the IDF involved rather than just another
dramatization of the event. It’s not about the passengers but about how the
rescue was carried out,” he explains. “All viewers will feel an incredible sense
of pride when they see it.”
Assault and Rescue
airs on January 30 at 8 pm on Discovery Channel
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