Mr. Chair, there is a duality to Jewish identity and Jewish life that is perhaps unique in Canadian history.
On the one hand, individually and collectively, and especially in the western democracies, the Jewish community is achieving unparalleled acceptance and an ability to contribute to society in the same way as other citizens in each of the countries in which they live. We see that in Canada, where Jewish institutions are strong and the Jewish community is able to participate at every level in every field of human endeavour.
As well, Israel, although threatened, has emerged as a strong cultural, scientific, military presence in the Middle East that can contribute to, and has contributed to, the advancement of health, education, and literature around the world.
On the other hand, we are seeing the emergence of an old hatred, a hatred that we all thought could not possibly re-emerge, a hatred that means Jewish people cannot safely walk through the streets of some of the most civilized capitals of the world if they are dressed identifiably as Jewish. They risk their physical lives, and the social and psychological oppression that they face on a daily basis in some of these capitals is quite chilling indeed.
At the same time, Israel's existence is now threatened by those who deny its very right to exist and who both deny the existence of the Holocaust and at the same time are determined to repeat it.
What is the genesis of this hatred? What are the reasons, be they psychological, historical, theological, or political? What is the genesis of this hate, and what is the reason it has been perpetuated over the millennia? To the extent that we can reach children, we can deal with it and prevent it from spreading, yet we have not been successful in doing that.
We here in this country have a diverse society, an extraordinarily successful society in which people are free to practise their religious beliefs and have different political perspectives, a society in which people of all races and religions can thrive. While this issue definitely exists, it does not pose the same kind of threat that it does in other countries of the world.
What can we learn from that, and what can we suggest that will help address the issue, protect the community, and hopefully—over the longer term, at least—prevent it from metastasizing into the kind of horror that we have seen all too recently?