Letter to the editor sent by UJPO Member Rubin Kantorovich, unprinted

The recent adoption of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism by the Manitoba Legislature is problematic on many levels. Of the 11 “contemporary examples” of antisemitism in the IRHA DEFINITION, 7 “examples” are related to opinions and/or criticisms of the state of Israel.
Many people of Jewish origin (religious and non-religious) and many others in our community support Palestinian rights and are critical of the conduct of the state of Israel, in particular the occupation of Palestinian lands, the illegal Israeli settlements, Israel’s violations of international law just to name a few.

The IHRA definition of antisemitism can be used as a weapon to censor the expression of such views.
It is sad to see the politicians in our province take positions to the detriment of Manitobans’ right to freely express their views.

Statement of Solidarity with Palestine and Palestinian People

United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO) Canada

Background:

As members of the United Jewish Peoples’ Order (UJPO), we have been deeply concerned about the lives of people in Israel and Palestine for many years. This statement is the product of conversation and deliberation among UJPO members across Canada, directed by the Israel/Palestine educational committee of the UJPO National Board (2020-22). The aim of this statement is to articulate our particular perspective as a progressive Jewish community in Canada with a long history of, and present commitment to, social justice advocacy at home and

internationally. This is also intended to serve as a statement of our commitment to further action.

Preamble:

We approach this issue as people with diverse identities across generations of Jews in Canada. Among us, we have experienced intense antisemitism, suffered the consequences of the Holocaust, and experienced displacement and dispossession. Through all this, we yearn for a better world. Generations of progressive Jews have struggled to find safe haven for all, away from oppression and genocide, and some have been hopeful that this could emerge in the contested land of Israel/Palestine. It has not. We reject the claim that Israel speaks for us. Other Jewish organizations, many with substantive resources and influence, that have insisted that challenging the State of Israel is the same as antisemitism do not speak for all Jews. They do not speak for us. We insist that no amount of antisemitism, no amount of atrocities – historical or current – can or should ever be used to justify the oppression of another people. We perceive that this oppression is what the State of Israel and its international allies are doing today, at the cost of Palestinian lives. Not in our name. As a secular Jewish progressive organization we have a long established history in Canada. We understand the struggle for justice and the rights of all oppressed peoples affects us at home as well as internationally.

Statement:

We support the right of Palestinians to self-determination in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) (as per United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) and numerous related UN resolutions). We oppose the Occupation and the siege of Gaza, which has resulted in inhumane conditions, effectively an outdoor prison, for nearly 2 million Palestinians. We support the right of Palestinians to their ancestral lands in the contested territory of 1948 Israel, and to the right of return to those lands (as per UN General Assembly Resolution 194). We support the rights of Palestinians to live free of anti-Palestinian racism. We oppose anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia as strongly as we oppose antisemitism.

Palestinians and Israelis should have the right to live in peace and freedom. We support the International Court of Justice Ruling, 2004, which renders illegal the Separation (Apartheid) Wall. We oppose the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel’s threatened annexation of these territories. We recognize the tragedy of the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, and the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians.

We support equity and democratic freedoms for Palestinians in Israel, and recognize the right of Jews and Palestinians to live in peace. The future of this beautiful and contested land, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, needs to be determined among all its residents collectively. We will strive for lasting conditions of peace, freedom, and equality to this end.

The appropriation of our suffering by using the language of “antisemitism” to silence Palestinian voices, solidarity with Palestine, and freedom of discussion about Palestinian rights is offensive to us. We oppose the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which in its examples, equates antisemitism with criticism of the State of Israel (https://www.noihra.ca/). While we have varied opinions regarding the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, we recognize it as a legitimate, nonviolent movement. We oppose the suppression of the BDS movement in the name of claiming it is antisemitic.

We insist that the Canadian government challenge the State of Israel’s persistent violation of international law regarding the rights of Palestine and Palestinians. The state of Canada, like the state of Israel, does not speak for us.

The United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO) commits to making every effort, every day, to advance solidarity, and to move towards peace, equality, and justice for all in any way we can.

Approved, Annual General Meeting UJPO Canada

January 29, 2023