'Hate fest' at school riles Jews (Canada)

TORONTO SUN ^ | 01/27/2005 | JASON BOTCHFORD

[Ashamed Canadian]

THE UNIVERSITY of Toronto is refusing to stop an event Jewish community leaders are calling a "hate fest." Just the title of the event, "Israeli Apartheid Week," has members of the Jewish community fuming and fearful it will help usher in a "new era of anti-Semitism."

The university is allowing the event, organized by the Arab Students Collective, to be held on its campus beginning Monday.

The list of topics include the apartheid wall, labour apartheid in Israel, and solidarity with workers under apartheid. The topics and speakers have incensed the Jewish community who say they are one-sided.

'BUILDING BLOCK'

"This amounts to a group of people gathering on a street corner holding up signs that say 'honk if you hate,' " said Anita Bromberg, human rights co-ordinator for B'Nai Brith. "This isn't something that stays on campus. This amounts to a hate fest and it's a building block for a new era of anti-Semitism that is only going to escalate."

David Farrar, the university's deputy provost, said the school, which is not sponsoring the event, is proud to host events that take on controversial issues.

"The very fact the Arab Student Coalition exists speaks to the central value of freedom of speech," he said. "We're very proud of our capacity for our students to hold events that discuss difficult and painful topics."

Bromberg said the school just doesn't get it. "By using the facility there's certainly an endorsement by the university that's being perceived by the community that this tone is acceptable."

[dennisw]

Most Canadian universities, and I'm generalizing, but they wouldn't be anywhere without private Jewish donors. If you walk around the schools in BC, all the buildings are named after local Jewish families. If they're promoting hatred, we should be cutting them off.

Even more so at Columbia University. They have a Mid East studies department that is infamously anti Semitic and anti Israel. A disgrace to the Jewish donors to Columbia U, in NYC.