August 18, 2024  •  Judy Haiven writes in The Bullet

Many of you know that the Yiddish word chutzpah means extreme self-confidence or audacity. It is defined here: a young man murders his parents then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan. The new definition of chutzpah is Israel – the Jewish state – killing 186,000 people in ten months, denying it, then getting Jews around the world to also deny it.

The longer Israel’s war on Gaza goes on, the more frenzied and desperate pro-Israel Jews in Canada become. A few months ago pro-Israel Jews pleaded for the release of the hostages, and tried to pressure Netanyahu to release the Jewish hostages. But the powerful in Israel, led by Netanyahu, turned a deaf ear and refused to even consider some kind of hostage/prisoner exchange beyond a very limited one in November 2023. Now we seldom hear a word about the hostages. In fact the pro-Israel community is so slavish toward Israel that whatever those in power in Israel say – well Canadian Jews are merely Israel’s echo chamber. The pro-Israel Jews just go along with it. No matter how ridiculous, dangerous, or dishonest.

Why Do Some Jews Go Along With Genocide?

But why? I don’t recall one other war, or one other public issue that we Canadians are forbidden from talking about, prevented from taking action against, labelled as terrorists, or Hamas lovers because we demand a ceasefire. We demand Israel stop it’s heinous genocide against millions of mainly women and children in Gaza and the West Bank.

But if we dare speak against Israel, or in favour of Palestinians, we can be fired, harassed, doxxed, denied jobs, not allowed to graduate, and more. In this column, I’ll look at the many aspects of the “cancel culture” used by those in the pro-Israel establishment and their friends such as evangelical Christians.

You will have to bear with me. This is a detailed account of pro-Israel individuals and institutions such as B’nai Brith and the Simon Wiesenthal Center that have taken on the duties of stopping any discussion about or sympathy toward Palestinians.

First I want to mention these facts:

1. The pro-Israel Jewish community in Canada denies that Israel has wantonly killed at least 40,000 Palestinians – overwhelmingly women and children – in cold blood since October 7. The Lancet claims the figure could more likely be 186,000 – which includes all the people who died in the collapsed buildings, and those who have died of injuries, disease and starvation which Gazans have had to endure for many months.
2. The pro-Israel Jewish community also denies that in the Gaza strip, Israel has destroyed more than 412,000 buildings, mostly homes, 80% of schools, virtually all 18 hospitals (only 3 are partially open), all 12 Gaza universities, 241 mosques, and many churches.
3. Another thing the pro-Israel Jews deny is that Israel has deliberately slowed or stopped food and water deliveries to Gaza, causing mass starvation. Without food and water shipments, Israel has forced all Gazans to drink polluted water and many to eat grass and leaves. Now in Gaza, there is evidence of Polio. The UN reported in June an increase in Hepatitis A, dysentery and gastroenteritis. Many people are also noting the spread of a highly contagious skin disease in Gaza.
   

   I don’t think one Canadian Jew has lost a business, a profession, a career, a home, a job, an opportunity because of antisemitism

   Canada’s pro-Israel Jews (in denying or ignoring all of the above) have found a way to try to get a very different message across and to keep debate away from Gaza. Their message is that Jews in Canada are facing horrifying cases of antisemitism. An antisemitism so vile and pernicious that not one Jew we know of has lost his or her job. No Jew has lost their place in medical school or any professional school, their livelihood, their housing, their supply of water or food, their opportunity to pray and live in any community in Canada. No Canadian Jew has lost their ability to practice law, dentistry, engineering, science, medicine or any other profession. Not one Jew in Canada has been wounded, maimed or killed because they are a Jew.

   The pro-Israel Jews stoke the lie that they are the ones under fire, and refuse to reference or even think about the genocide of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank – savagely killed by Israel– the state that claims to speak for all Jews worldwide.

   This world is topsy-turvy.

   • Students who oppose Israel’s genocide have their tents ripped down, get arrested and find their student status in jeopardy because the establishment Jews complain to the universities that they don’t want the tents or any reminder of Palestinians’ lives on campuses.
   • Some students who support Palestinians human rights are told that they cannot graduate, are barred from interning or articling jobs if they dare to wear a keffiyah, or sign a letter for a ceasefire

   Let’s look at some of the areas in which those who support Palestine or dare to question or oppose Israel have felt the full weight of pro-Israel forces cancelling them, and trying to destroy them. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a list of what the pro-Israel groups have done to stop free speech, and to punish anyone who supports the Palestinians.

   More …