What does it take to prove you are not an antisemite in Canada?

This question is deeply troubling because supporters of Palestinians – and against Israel’s genocide in Gaza — must prove they are not against Jews. 

Élise Gravel, Québec’s best known and loved children’s author and illustrator, was labelled an antisemite by CIJA (the Centre for Israeli Jewish Affairs).  Following CIJA’s pronouncement, the Jewish Public Library of Montreal withdrew her books because she dared to use social media to criticize the Israeli government’s attacks on Gaza.  The Library censored her books; it removed them from the shelves and pulled them from circulation—essentially to hide them.  

“It’s about time to stop conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.”

Julius Grey, lawyer

Gravel’s lawyer, Julius Grey, a renowned human rights advocate is himself Jewish. He said, “It’s about time to stop conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.” He called removing the books by the Jewish Public Library (JPL) “censorship”.

Lawyer Grey said there is simply no evidence that Gravel holds antisemitic opinions and urged people to “calm down”.  Gravel condemned Israel in the wake its murder of nearly 30,000 Palestinian civilians (more than half women and children), 60,000 seriously injured including more than 1,000 child amputees.

Gravel is the 2012 winner of the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Illustration in French^.  She has written more than 30 books and graphic novels for children.  In 2022, the Writers’ Trust of Canada awarded Gravel the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People.  She’s one of the most beloved children’s authors in Québec.

Eventually, the Jewish Public Library had to back down.  In part owing to the pressure by the public that a Québec cultural icon was smeared by a dangerous lie because Gravel supports the people of Gaza.  Also, the Montréal chapter of Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJVCanada) and their allies protested and marched in front of the Library which drew attention to censorship of pro-Palestinian voices. (Full disclosure, I’m a member of IJVCanada, too).  

However, it turns out Canada’s Freedom to Read Week was the real deal wrecker.  Freedom to Read Week, which opposes censorship and banning of books, started 18 Feb.  The Jewish Public Library suddenly reversed its decision –and not a moment too soon.  

For weeks before all this, the Jewish Public Library has planned a ‘banned book’ display and a public program tomorrow night (20 Feb.) called “Ignite Minds, Not Books.”  It is a public meeting to provide a platform for diverse perspectives and promote “informed discourse within our community.”  How would it have looked to have had a book in the Library’s collection censored during that ceremony?

Now, due to popular pressure, the Library (under CIJA’s watchful eye) has  returned the book to the open shelves.  CIJA and the Library  will likely deny that they ever censored it!  In fact if you persist in telling the truth, the pro-Israel establishment will accuse you of blood libel. 

This tweet from CIJA says it all.  It disparages Gravel for daring to say Israel is exterminating Palestinians like vermin – because that conjures up images of the Nazis.  The Library undoubtably took its lead from CIJA. Here’s CIJA’s tweet:

Le CIJA

@CIJAQC

Nous avons observé une escalade de l’antisémitisme et du contenu conspirationniste de la part de l’auteure montréalaise de livres pour enfants Elise Gravel. Par example, dans ces images elle invoque le trope antisémite du meurtre rituel. Et qui sont les “ils” auxquels elle fait référence ? (1/2) #polqc #polmtl #antisemitisme 

Can you really ban books by Quebéc’s top young people’s author, and then oppose book banning?

For her part, Gravel wrote on Facebook,

“To those who are aggressively trying to bully me into shutting up, it won’t work. I know why you’re doing it and I take it as a sign that my voice matters. I don’t mind being cancelled; I’ve had a good career, I’m ready to retire if need be. The tragedy that’s unfolding is much bigger and more important than my books.”

Élise Gravel

“The tragedy that’s unfolding is much bigger and more important than my books”

Interestingly, the Library’s Executive Director Alain Dancyger had to admit “the content of her books is objectively not offensive” yet he noted the “sensitivities” around Gravel’s social media posts.  

Where have we seen this before? I have, and so have you, dear readers.

Jewish Museum, Paris 2006

18 years ago  in 2006, Canadian children’s author Deborah Ellis’ book Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak was banned in several Ontario school boards including Toronto District School Board.  Though the book had won the top Ontario children’s book award, the Silver Birch Award.

“Hiding books is an idea that died a deserved death a long time ago and shouldn’t be resurrected by, of all things, a school board.”

Alan Cumyn of PEN Canada

The book was banned, or at least taken off the reading lists for younger school children, after the Canadian Jewish Congress wrote a letter asking the Ontario Library Association to reconsider whether the book was appropriate for children of all ages. The Canadian Jewish Congress sent the same letter to school boards across the province.  That was enough to justify its removal from some schools. Deborah Ellis’ publisher called the push for an  “age appropriate” restriction just “an excuse” for censoring it.  

At the time, Alan Cumyn of PEN Canada said, “Hiding books is an idea that died a deserved death a long time ago and shouldn’t be resurrected by, of all things, a school board.”

At the time, the late writer and activist June Callwood was horrified at the banning.  She said of the banning,  “I didn’t think this could happen any more.  The last time I was protesting the banning of a book it was Margaret Laurence’s The Diviners.”

However, in the summer of 2006, my family and I were in Paris. We visited the Jewish Museum; in its bookshop was Deborah Ellis’ Three Wishes – in French, Trois Voeux,  for all to read and buy.  

Continued Jewish Establishment’s Attacks

There is the frenzied attack against anyone in the public eye who speaks about Israel’s murderous rampage against Gazans.  It often starts with the nasty blather and lies (putting it mildly) published online in tweets by CIJA and B’nai Brith and articles in The Canadian Jewish News and so-called HonestReporting.ca – all four are stand-ups for Israel’s genocidal interests.   In their crosshairs, has been the one Canadian columnist who has consistently stood up for Gaza and asked questions–Shree Paradkar of The Toronto Star.  After one column in November, she was demoted at the Star and her management role was revoked.  

Here are other sobering examples about what CIJA, B’nai Brith, The Canadian Jewish News and HonestReporting.ca have done to squelch and even criminalize support for Palestinians—and claim support for them is antisemitic. 

• In a tweet, CIJA commended University of Alberta’s president and vice-chancellor for firing the director of the university’s Sexual Assault Centre, Samantha Pearson, for signing a letter and calling “unverified” the rapes of Israeli women.

Below: Wesam Khaled in Calgary (credit: CJPME); police giving pro-Palestinian demonstrator on the Avenue Rd. bridge a cup for coffee; Sarah Jama, Ont. MPP; Susan Kim, Victoria city councillor; outside Indigo in Toronto, shop windows with paint (CP24)

• CIJA demanded that Susan Kim, a Victoria BC city councillor, apologize and grovel because she dared to suggest in a letter that the Hamas’ rapes were unverified.
• CIJA says Ontario MPP Sarah Jama, is “unfit to serve as an elected official” and must be censured for denying “Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 and further antisemitic tropes.” She was not only thrown out of the NDP caucus, she was censured by the Legislature – meaning she cannot participate in debates, and loses privileges as a member of the official opposition. 
• The Canadian Jewish News demanded action be taken against a man in Calgary who led a “From the River to the Sea” chant at a Nov. 5 rally. Wesam Khaled  “has been charged with causing a disturbance, with a hate-motivated component added to the charge”.  The police have since dropped the charges.
• Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, vice-president for the Toronto region at CIJA (Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs), said her group had been in talks with Police Chief Demkiw. CIJA is arguing that protests related to the continuing war “target the Jewish community.” In other words, that demonstrations should be curtailed. CIJA pushed the police to lay an “unprecedented” hate charge against a protester who carried the flag of the PFLP – basically Yasser Arafat’s faction’s flag.
• B’nai Brith sought an injunction against pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the vicinity of Toronto’s Avenue Rd bridge over Hwy 401.  The Jewish group said though police had banned protests on the bridge, the mere fact people were protesting against Israel in the area of Jewish homes and synagogues was “intimidating”.  As B’nai Brith presented no convincing evidence, the judge disagreed and refused to grant them an injunction. 
• Eleven protesters were arrested when they picketed, pasted handbills and threw (water-based) paint on the windows of Indigo’s flagship store in Toronto.  They were protesting HESEG, a charity created by Indigo’s owner Heather Reisman.  HESEG is one of the top two private foundations in Canada, receiving donations of $45.3 million per year.  Its mission is to support “lone soldiers” who fight for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). A lone soldier is defined as someone who comes from another country to join the IDF.   

What is at the root of these pro-Israel organizations is their total opposition to and efforts to silence pro-Palestinian voices and label their supporters as antisemitic.  Many Canadians believe anti-Arab racism lies at the root.  Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has a very handy chart that reveals what anti-Arab racism is and the forms it takes (see below).  The Jewish organizations are working hard to delegitimize and erase Palestinians.  That goes hand in hand with Israel’s obliteration of Gaza and with the genocide of its people.

My thanks to CJPME for the essay and chart here.

Photograph at the top: Demonstrators on the bridge at Avenue Rd over the hwy 401 in Toronto — before the police forbade it. (credit: Richard Lautens Toronto/Star)

And Finally — Narcissists are Us

In this new category, I am going to talk about Canadian Jews who support genocide against Palestinians. Apparently a “Trailblazing Canadian cyclist” was removed from an Ottawa International Women’s Day event over her past IDF service. I should hope so!! Leah Goldstein, born in Vancouver to Israeli parents, joined the IDF 30 years ago and was the first female elite command instructor in the IDF. She was also an Israeli undercover police officer. Unless TODAY she publicly supports Palestinians and is against Israel’s killing machine in Gaza and the West Bank– I’d say she’s pretty much a narcissist. That means she thinks she can boost Israel’s genocide of Palestinian civilians and still be lauded as a prize winning athlete. As the Cleveland Jewish News points out,

“Goldstein is a frequent motivational speaker who shares how mental strength helped her overcome injury, discrimination and bullying throughout her experiences in sports and in Israel…”

If this isn’t narcissism and chutzpah, I don’t know what is.