Casey Babb is an affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society, and an instructor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.
In his 2021 book, Jews Don’t Count, writer and comedian David Baddiel asks why it is that people or organizations who think of themselves as progressive seem to have a blind spot when it comes to subtle, or sometimes even deadly, forms of antisemitism. His answer: It essentially comes down to the fact that “Jews are the only objects of racism who are imagined – by the racists – as both low and high status.”
Similarly, French rabbi Delphine Horvilleur in her book, Anti-Semitism Revisited, suggests “Jews are a bit too much the same and a bit too different.” Ultimately, it is a matter of views that, in this era of heightened identity politics, are antithetical to one another. On one end of the spectrum, Jews are thieving, dirty, even impure creatures who cannot be trusted. On the other end, we are the epitome of power and control; we are too influential, too privileged and, of course, too white.
For many, even those who purport to be “on the right side of history,” it is inconceivable and in fact confusing to think of potentially successful people or – even worse – people who are perceived as white to be victims of hatred, bigotry and racism. Yet for centuries, from the Middle East, to Europe, to the U.S., Canada and beyond, Jews have been racialized, brutalized and murdered for being identifiably different – often times, for not being white.
At the political level, it should be acknowledged that Ottawa has taken meaningful and concrete steps to address or at least shed light on antisemitism. For instance, in November, 2020, former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler was named Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism.
Further, in July, 2021, the federal government convened a National Summit on Antisemitism led by Mr. Cotler and Bardish Chagger, former minister of diversity and inclusion and youth. For many in the Jewish community, these moves marked an important turning point – antisemitism was getting the attention it deserved, and people were taking notice.
But aside from these examples, and the fact that Statistics Canada has found that the Jewish community is the most targeted religious group in the country when it comes to hate crimes, there seems to be little effort in the federal public service to address antisemitism.
In fact, in the government’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, the words “Jewish” or “antisemitism” are not mentioned once. Further, of the 90 letters sent from deputy heads to the interim Clerk of the Privy Council detailing departmental implementation efforts related to the Call to Action, only five mention antisemitism.
Then there is the issue of self-identification or self-declaration when it comes to “employment equity.” Many Jews – including myself – do not identify as “white.” Why is it, then, that I cannot identify myself as belonging to an employment equity group for job opportunities while, say, a very light-skinned person of a different ethnic group can? If I do not have a say in defining the parameters of my Jewishness and identity, who does?
To be clear, I am not suggesting this neglect comes from a place of malice, but rather, a place of confusion – a place of deep-seated ignorance. I firmly believe that for a variety of reasons, Jews and antisemitism simply are not top of mind for decision makers and individuals working on initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
This might explain, for instance, why Canadian Heritage provided a $133,000 grant to the Community Media Advocacy Centre for an anti-racism initiative, despite the fact a consultant on the project, Laith Marouf, has suggested that “Jewish White supremacists” are “feces” and that they should get a “bullet to the head,” among other vile things.
I give Canadian Heritage the benefit of the doubt that they did not know about this, and credit that they swiftly cut funding to CMAC this week and suspended the project. But not knowing is precisely part of the problem. As American writer Yair Rosenberg said, “Although many people say they are against antisemitism today, they don’t understand the nature of what they oppose. And that’s part of why antisemitism abides.”
In 2020, I wrote in The Globe and Mail about my concern regarding rising antisemitism. Today, that increase is compounded by my realization that the problem itself remains poorly understood and appreciated. If efforts related to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion are to be taken seriously, they must appropriately and accurately account for rampant antisemitism in all its forms. Further, more education on what it means to be Jewish is sorely needed across government and beyond.
Only then might we start to feel that Jews count.
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