At the Residence Society general assembly, when candidates were asked by a first-year Jewish student what they were going to do to fight anti-Semitism in residences, given that, at this point, four mezuzahs had been removed, no one gave a good answer. The most disturbing thing was that an audible ripple of laughter went through the room the moment the question was asked.
Anti-Semitic rhetoric is not limited to students. We've already heard terrible things coming out of professors within their classrooms and outside of them. I think the one that really shocked me was when a Concordia professor showed up at McGill and screamed at Jewish students, “Go back to Poland, sharmuta,” which is an Arabic derogatory curse-word.
In terms of physical aggression, we've had lots of examples of that tonight. At Western University, a student who hosted a Jewish event had rocks thrown through the window of her student house that night. It's her private student home. Physical assaults and threats have become alarmingly common. I've seen several videos in the last weeks from university campuses that have disturbed me greatly.
The final bit is disqualification. This, to me, is really the most pernicious form of anti-Semitism that we're seeing on campuses. It's the core demand of this encampment movement right now. Removing all representations of Zionism from campus has become.... The mask has slipped. We have gone from, “We need a ceasefire” to, “Hillel must be removed from campus, because Hillel is a Zionist cultural institution.”
So says CUPE 3903, the union of TAs at York University. It provided TAs at York with a tool kit on how they could bring Palestine into the classroom. It included as a recommendation that Hillel should not be allowed on campus.
I remind you that we have been an organization serving Canadian Jewish students for more than 80 years.
I'm proud to live in Canada, and it pains me to witness this trend in a country that is known for its inclusivity and diversity. While anti-Semitism is indeed an ancient hatred, its current resurgence on Canadian campuses is not merely a recurrence, but an intensification. It's threatening the safety and well-being of Jewish students and, by extension, the integrity of our educational institutions.
If we stand by while history's shadows lengthen into our halls of learning, we fail not only those directly affected, but also the very ideals of diversity, inclusion and justice we aspire to uphold.
It is urgent that we act now. The cost of inaction is the well-being of our future generations here in this country. Let us not be the ones who look back and wish that we had done more when we had the chance. Let's ensure that all students, regardless of background or belief, can pursue their education in an environment free from intimidation, hate and fear.
Thank you.