Ben Sichel, member of Independent Jewish Voices Canada and of Solidarity Halifax, writes to the Chronicle Herald in support of former NDP candidate Morgan Wheeldon who faces accusations of anti-semitism following his comments about Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Re: “NDP hopeful pulls out of race” (Aug.11).
Jon Goldberg of the Atlantic Jewish Council makes a mockery of real anti-Semitism when he accuses Morgan Wheeldon of it because of his Facebook post about Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Real anti-Semitism was when my grandmother, a Cohen, had to apply to jobs in Montreal in the 1930s using a fake last name, or my grandfather needed higher marks than his non-Jewish schoolmates to get into university.
The term does not apply to legitimate criticism of the state of Israel. Wheeldon’s comments — implying that Israel may have committed war crimes when it bombarded Gaza last summer, killing over 2,000 civilians, including more than 500 children — are similar to recent statements by both Amnesty International and the UN.
The mainstream Jewish community’s witch hunt against all those who dare criticize Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestinian lands must stop.
It’s disappointing that the NDP, whose MPs include many of those with the most relatively reasonable positions on Israel/Palestine, would bow to this pressure rather than pointing out the real extremist on this issue in Canada: Stephen Harper.
Note: Articles published by Solidarity Halifax members do not necessarily reflect positions held by the organization.
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