Yesterday, I read about a father in Gaza who lost his 13 year old son when an Israeli missile tore through their house—killing the son, knocking the father unconscious yet –by some miracle– his other son and daughter survived.  I read that more than 15,000 fathers have experienced their children being killed by Israel in the last eight months.  Some Father’s day, eh. 

As the father, Ahmed Abu Artema wrote,

“The question is, why has Israel killed children? Why does Israel kill our children? Israel’s leaders and the masses of Israelis who support them look at children as if they are enemies. They see that our children are the future of the Palestinians — and since Israel is founded on the narrative that there is no Palestinian people, its leaders act to end our future, end our children.”

Jews, especially in wealthy countries such as Canada, the US, the UK, Australia and western Europe deny this.  They prattle on about saving “the hostages” and piously call on the Israeli government (and its booster-governments in Canada and the US) to pressure any and all to save the 100 or so remaining hostages.  On Sunday June 23, the Atlantic Jewish Council (AJC) is holding a rally for Israel.  Where, we don’t know.  At the rally, we can be sure there will not be one sign about the 37,300 Palestinians that Israel has killed, or the more than 85,000 seriously maimed. 

You could lose your job if you support Gazans

The 48% of Canadian Jews who say they are “emotionally” attached to Israel, seem to only care about the Jews. But as we know it is worse than that –many Jews have an affinity for Israel but it doesn’t blind them to acts of genocide.  It’s one thing to support Israel. It’s another to try to silence and stop anyone who criticizes Israel. We know there are dozens of doctors, medical personnel, even a nursing student, who have been disciplined or fired from their studies or their jobs because they dared to sign a petition for Palestinian human rights, or post pro-Palestine messages on their social media. This also applies to lawyers and law students. Thanks to Robyn Doolittle’s article in The Globe and Mail, we know that law students at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) who, in an open letter,  condemned Israel for its genocidal war on Gaza have faced denial of summer jobs by some Bay Street law firms and mentorship placements by the Ontario government.  A few Toronto lawyers have said they want to blacklist open letter signers from articling jobs at some law firms.  We know journalists have faced censure and firing for insisting on presenting the truth about what Israel has done. And of course there are the court cases instigated by the University of Toronto, and McGill University in efforts to dismantle the pro-Palestine encampments at each campus.  The pro-Israel lobby does not want anyone in this country to publicly expose what Israel actually does day after day in Gaza.  The list goes on.  

Yet the Jews in Halifax who support the AJC want us to know that: 

“The AJC Stands United with Israel:  We are issuing a call-to-action to our entire community… to come and stand united with us.

This is the time to stand strong for Canada’s democratic values, including the right to gather peacefully. We have what it takes to show the world how Jews unite, stand up for what we believe in, and do everything in our power to help in times of crisis!

Bring your Israeli and Canadian flags, wear Blue and White.”

“Stand up for what we believe in,” is that genocide?

“Stand up for what we believe in,” what does that mean?  The AJC believes in Israel; Israel believes in genocide.  So the AJC and its members believe in genocide.  And what kind of help does it offer in “times of crisis”? This is blather. On second thought, maybe the help sought is tax deductible donations to various Canadian charities that support Israel such as Heather Reisman’s HESEG, or the Jewish National Fund (JNF) – which bolster the Israeli military and the continued take over of Palestinians’ lands.  

The pro-establishment Jews of Halifax won’t say where their June 23 rally will take place.  The US-based pro-Israel group Tafsik  in Toronto, which has attracted thousands to pay to attend rallies that feature right-wing and pro-Israel demagogues such as Douglas Murray, it only reveals where its event will be the day of the event. The same tactic is used here in Halifax.  I guess for the Halifax Jews, their interest in “democracy” only stretches so far. 

Mural at the top is by Tunisian graffiti artist Abdelwahed Benmessaoud. “Speaking to The New Arab, Abdelwahed explained that his drawings attempt to ‘push a boat of hope into a sea of Arab silence. Each expression I paint is a statement that hopes to urge others to support the Palestinian cause and condemn Israel’s criminal actions in Gaza.’ ” For more, read this.