Neil Naiman, Chair, Vancouver Chapter, Independent Jewish Voices in Canada

We are writing in response to your public letter to the members of the provincial NDP caucus.

In this letter as well as in a number of your other public utterances, you cast yourself as a spokesperson for the Jewish community, speaking as if there is a single, unified Jewish community and that you represent the members of that community.

It is important to note that there has never existed a single Jewish community, any more than there exists a single Christian, Muslim, Black, South Asian or East Asian community. Each of these religious and ethnic groupings is comprised of groups embracing a range of different religious, political and social views.

This is as true of Jews as it is of other groups. In addition to Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, there are those who do not practice religious Judaism, as well as those who are outright atheists. When it comes to the subject of Israel, there are those who are militant Zionists as well as those who do not identify with Zionism, and those who reject Zionism altogether.

In your public statements, you act as if this range of views does not exist and purport to speak for “the Jewish community.” In other words, you claim to speak for all Jews in Vancouver or British Columbia. Please be apprised of the fact that you do not speak for the members of Independent Jewish Voices-Canada.

There is a related problem here. Because of your strong personal attachment to Zionism, you invariably label as “antisemitism” criticisms and public demonstrations against Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. Most recently you used the label to describe the response of your fellow cabinet members to the events of October 7.

What you are in fact reacting to is the reality that increasing numbers of Canadians see Israel not as a victim, but rather as a perpetrator of crimes against the Palestinians, crimes that predate October 7 by decades. By continuing to focus your attention on the events of that day, you betray a profound insensitivity to the fact that Israel’s attacks on the people of Gaza have resulted in more than 30,000 civilian deaths and that there is impending famine there caused by Israeli refusal to allow for the delivery of food shipments.

You characterize the slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” which is used by Palestinians and their supporters, as expressing a “desire to destroy Israel and the Jews.” This is the interpretation that Zionists choose to make of the slogan. In fact it is the expression of the Palestinian desire to be free from oppression at the hands of a state that institutionalizes Jewish privilege. Our members repeat that slogan when they participate in Palestine solidarity demonstrations because they share that vision.

Your letter lists a number of instances of what you deem to be manifestations of antisemitism. You are conflating expressions of outrage regarding Israel’s horrific actions with hatred of Jews, a practice rooted in Zionists’ insistence that criticism of and opposition to Israel and Zionism are synonymous with antisemitism. In fact, opposition to Zionism – including Jewish opposition to it – has existed since the inception of the Zionist attempt to create a state for Jews that institutionalizes Jewish privilege based on the expulsion and oppression of Palestinians. Our organization, Independent Jewish Voices-Canada, is in fact anti-Zionist.

Increasing numbers of Jews, including our members, have been participating in demonstrations of solidarity for Palestinians and calling for an end to not only the current crimes in Gaza but also to the institutionalization of Jewish privilege in the state of Israel.

The examples you give as evidence of a double standard in the NDP government’s response to your anti-Palestinian statements and those of your fellow cabinet members are revealing:

Mabel Elmore’s statement that “we have vocal Zionists in our work sites, and we have had to battle them” was not antisemitic. It was a statement of a fact. It was unfortunate that Carol James forced Mabel to disavow and apologize for that statement and that Mabel agreed to do so.

You point to the fact that “the community leadership” – presumably you are referring to the leadership of the Jewish Federation and CIJA, two staunch Zionist organizations – had not heard from Niki Sharma in her capacity as the government’s point of contact for issues related to anti-semitism as evidence of the government’s indifference to the issue. For your information, our organization has not heard from Ms. Sharma, either. We would not use this fact as the basis for characterizing the government’s position on the subject of antisemitism.

You declare that “Anti-semitism is calling for the destruction and annihilation of Israel.” In fact, there is a widening realization of the need to dismantle the state that institutionalizes Jewish privilege and oppresses Palestinians. This is not the same thing as calling for the physical destruction and annihilation of Jews or Israelis. Rather, it is endorsing an approach similar to the steps that were taken to dismantle the system of apartheid in South Africa.

Contrary to what you imply, Jennifer Whiteside’s 2012 reference to the Electronic Intifada and promotion of the BDS movement should not be described as manifestations of antisemitism. Both are simply anti-Zionist. She should not have been made to apologize for this.
It was completely legitimate for Ronna Rae to invite people to support Haneen Zoubi, the former Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset who stands for an end to Israel’s institutionalized privileging of Jews.

When Jagrup Brar cited Goebbels in the course of a legislative debate, it might have been inappropriate, but nothing in that statement was anti-semitic. The same thing can be said of Janet Rutledge’s comments comparing the Opposition’s rhetoric to that of the Nazis.

Contrary to your insistence, the call for your removal from cabinet – which was endorsed by Independent Jewish Voices Vancouver – was not based on a double standard, but rather your repeated public utterances and social media posts expressing highly problematic anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim views.

Finally, we are in no position to know Premier Eby’s motivation. But the fact that he did not take you up on your offer to initiate dialogue among Jews, Arabs and Muslims cannot be attributed to latent antisemitism on his part. It is more likely that he is of the view that such a dialogue would not be fruitful if led by someone so closely identified with Zionist organizations like CIJA and the Jewish Federation.

In conclusion, we urge you to take to heart the enormous upwelling of public opposition that your public utterances about Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians generated, leading up to your expulsion from cabinet. Rather than insisting upon the rectitude of your position and releasing statements leaving the strong impression that you have not, in fact, taken the criticism to heart, we urge you to look into your views and the possibility that it is those that require examination.

Yours truly,

Neil Naiman, Chair
Vancouver Chapter
Independent Jewish Voices Canada