Canada’s main Jewish organizations would support Israel wiping out everyone in the region. One reason they can express such racist positions is that many critics insulate them from discussion of the supremacist ideology and system they promote.
Amidst its holocaust in Gaza, land theft in the West Bank and constant bombings in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, Israel launched a massive attack on Iran last night. They struck with fighter jets and drones smuggled into the country. Israel killed several civilians and top military and government officials in what’s likely an effort to elicit regime change. The nuclear armed state’s attacks on Iran are likely to prompt a major reaction, which could spur a broader regional war. Considering the tensions between the US/Israel/NATO block and Russia and China it’s not inconceivable that this could spiral into a world war.
Within hours of its illegal attacks on Iran, most of Canada’s main Jewish organizations posted to X backing Israel. United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto immediately posted, “Tonight and always, we are keeping Israel in our thoughts and prayers. Am Yisrael Chai.” Linking to a statement on behalf of all the Jewish federations in North America, Vancouver’s federation posted we “stand in unwavering solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel-as we have throughout our shared history—praying for their immediate safety, strength, and well-being, and for the protection of future generations to come.”
Early Friday morning the head of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, Michael Levitt, posted an even stronger statement, saying he always backed Israel. I responded, “yes. Even if Israel killed everyone in region.” I don’t have the former Liberal MP’s exact wording since he subsequently deleted his tweet (and blocked me).
In contrast to the Jewish federations, CIJA, B’nai Brith and others pushing Ottawa to back Israel’s violence, I posted to social media that “Mark Carney must immediately condemn the rogue genocidal Jewish supremacist state’s monstrous attack on Iran.”
It prompted an angry rebuttal from Independent Jewish Voices activist Avrum Rosner. He posted, “Maybe you could relax and stop with the ‘Jewish supremacist’ shit? I’m Jewish, and I’ve dedicated my life to opposing Israeli crimes and Zionist ideology since before you were born. Your passion for exposing ‘Jewish’ supremacy shows a serious flaw in your understanding of the world. Just stop it. Jews are not the enemy. Imperialism, Israel, its supporters (U.S. etc.), and Zionism are the enemies. What exactly is your fetish here?”
I responded, “A state based on Jewish supremacy that’s been committing a holocaust in Gaza after destroying Lebanon and Syria just launched a massive attack on Iran likely leading to a major regional war and you are spending your time questioning the use of the descriptor ‘Jewish supremacy’ for a state that has more than 50 laws that are explicitly Jewish supremacist. What is wrong with you?”
I then linked to liberal Jewish Israeli human rights group Bteselem’s 2021 report “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid.” A state granting special privileges to Jews is literally Israel’s raison d’être.
If Rosner’s been opposing Israel’s crimes for more than 46 years (my age) and is uncomfortable calling Israel a “Jewish supremacist state” what do you say? If they do so while Canada’s main Jewish organizations express support for a state seeking to eliminate all non-Jews from Gaza while unleashing regional mayhem, they are racist.
As is widely understood in anti-racist circles, protecting a supremacist ideology/system from challenge is well … racism. Centring Jewish sensitivities while the supremacist state is unleashing such horrors is unconscionable. But, unfortunately, not surprising.
Israel is a genocidal Jewish supremacist state. If you want to stop it from destroying Palestinians and further convulsing the region it’s necessary to say so.
Please take a minute to email Carney to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran.
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