Last week, an Edmonton city councillor broke a cardinal rule. 

No criticism of Israel is allowed, even if you speak the truth. 

Michael Janz, a 5-year veteran councillor who previously served as an elected school board trustee for 11 years, thought free speech was permitted in his city, but clearly — not when it comes to speaking about Israel.  

Janz found out the hard way when he recently posted this message: 

“If you have a newborn baby, right now, anywhere in the world, your brand new baby is statistically more likely to be killed by Israel than dying in any other way. Israel has murdered more babies in Gaza and Lebanon than have died in ANY OTHER WAYS [Janz’ emphasis], whether natural or unnatural –across the globe.”

The CEO of Edmonton’s Jewish Federation, Stacey Leavitt-Wright, complained that Janz was creating “real harm” because he was “doubling down” on Israel. “I’d want to see him stop, first of all,” she demanded.

“No child should be scarred by war before they have taken their first breath”

UNICEF coordinator

I’m sure she does, but when she asked Edmonton’s mayor to intercede, he said every councillor is responsible for their own words and actions.  Undaunted, Leavitt-Wright did make common cause with Alberta’s minister of municipal affairs, Dan Williams.  Williams said, 

“This kind of fear-mongering, implying that globally our children are somehow — even in the most contorted and remote sense — threatened to be murdered by the state of Israel is deeply inappropriate public discourse.”

Thanks for that, Mr Williams.  Hey, isn’t your government, the United Conservative Party (UCP), the nine-year-old right-wing offspring of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives? Didn’t your party once appoint Peter Savaryn, as Chancellor of Alberta’s most prestigious institution, the University of Alberta? Savaryn was also president of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and vice-president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He even received the Order of Canada in 1987. The problem was, Savaryn was a Nazi. 

You and your political friends in the party did not publicly recognize the “mistake” of having appointed a Nazi to head the major university until six years after his death! In 2023, Savaryn’s past as a fighter in the 14^th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (Galician Division) was exposed. Around the same time, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka had received two standing ovations in the House of Commons.  But he too was revealed to have been a Nazi, also a member of the 14^th Waffen of the SS .  Both men (plus at least five others identified as Ukrainian nationalists and Nazi collaborators) were heavy financial contributors to U of A’s Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), according to this article and several credible scholars. What’s more, the PC government at least once matched the funds donated.  So your party, covering up for a legion of Nazi donors to the university, isn’t really coming to Israel’s defence with clean hands.

Gaza, the most dangerous place in the world to be a child

So, what is the problem with what Councillor Janz wrote on social media?  Is it a lie? UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, had this to say,  “The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. And day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced.” 

First,  Israel has killed more than 20,000 children since Oct 7 2023.  More than 1000 were under one year of age including hundreds of newborns.  Israel forces are killing at least one child per hour during this genocide.  

Second: Despite warnings that “No child should be scarred by war before they have taken their first breath,” UNICEF warns that  children are dying  “painful, preventable deaths” from starvation caused by mothers’ malnutrition and inability to produce milk for newborns.  Because of mothers’ malnutrition, babies are often born premature; those babies are 20 times more likely to die that full term children.  94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been hit by Israeli missiles and armed drones; electrical equipment, drugs, water supplies even cots have been deliberately destroyed by Israel. There are few to no places for mothers with newborns to get help.

It’s pretty conclusive that Israel’s genocide has murdered newborns, and thousands of children in their first year of life.  So why can’t Councillor Janz say it?

It is because most Canadians are afraid to hurt Jewish feelings, or to put it more bluntly, value possible Jewish feelings more than actual Palestinian lives.  Today, any negative talk about Israel is said to sow “divisive feelings” toward Jews, according to the establishment Jewish community, including Leavitt-Wright.  Lately more and more Jewish feelings have been hurt—the longer the genocide continues, and frankly worsens, the more outraged the public becomes against the genocide. For example the exhibit,  Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present recently opened at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg.  It has been denounced by many establishment Canadian Jews including Irwin Cotler, Prof Mark Berlin, and organizations such as the Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs (CIJA), B’nai Brith, and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.  At least one pro-Israel lobby group Shurat Ha-Din based in Israel (not Canada) threatened to sue the museum for even opening the exhibit.  Then there was a national petition campaign to stop the museum from opening the Nakba exhibit. The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada opposed plans for the museum’s exhibit, stating that the centre would end its partnership with CMHR.  CIJA’s CEO warned that opening the exhibit would have “serious real-world consequences.” The Jewish establishment claims it will hold the museum’s leadership “accountable for its egregious mishandling of this exhibit.” 

Still a day or two before the opening, a museum curator announced, “Nobody, none of those criticizing  [the exhibit] – has even been able to see our exhibition yet.”  

Now that the exhibit has opened, , likely the establishment Jews are trying to figure out ways to dismiss or curtail the Nakba exhibit as part of their general silencing campaign against criticism of Israel.   One effective way is to ensure the Nakba exhibit is temporary.  The museum announced this is a temporary show until Nov. 2028 – unlike Examining the Holocaust which forms part of the permanent gallery and has been in place for all 12 years the CMHR has been open.

Another fact: the Nakba exhibit is about 24 sq metres in size; Examining the Holocaust is 418 sq metres–17 times bigger. Examining the Holocaust is the single largest gallery in the museum. 

Jewish feelings in Canada surpass Israel’s shameful (and criminal) genocide against Palestinians. So isn’t it a good thing when we resist and call Israel supporters on it?

That’s what Councillor Janz thinks– read his full statement, 

“Like many Edmontonians, I’ve been horrified by the genocide in Palestine and the numerous well-documented war crimes committed by the state of Israel.  Our compassion must not have boundaries or borders. . . . Since the 7^th of Oct 2023, this has resulted in the death of at least 20,179 and injury of 44,143 children.  Every person should read these horrific findings. 

“… These are not statistics. These are humans… Every human being should be outraged by these horrors and call for justice and long overdue action by the global community against the perpetrators of these crimes.”

Janz is not going to stop showing Israel’s genocide to his constituents.  Thank goodness.

And one last thing. Three weeks ago, my new granddaughter was born. Mother, dad and new baby are fine. But as I rejoiced at the piece of nachas (joy) neither I nor my son O could help thinking about what if that baby had been born in Gaza – not in Vancouver. What if S, the baby’s mother, had been malnourished; what if the baby had been premature and no incubators or other technical support was available.  What if the hospital offered little space but a stairwell for birthing.   What if S couldn’t feed the baby, or had no clean water to mix the formula? Now this little reality check – how would I feel if my granddaughter and her parents were barely able to survive those first critical months after birth in Gaza.  What if they were “vaporized in a tent” by an Israeli air strike that hit them in their tent days after the baby was born? 

Perhaps Canada’s Jews, should put themselves in someone else’s place – but many of them refuse. Their sympathy goes only one way—it’s their feelings that count.  And damn those children and families and other collateral damage in Gaza.

Cartoon at the Top and below: by Antonio Rodriguez (born in Mexico City 1965) @Rodriguezmonos. Rodriguez is a member of Cartooning for Peace. Read about him here.

NB: Just saw that before Oct. 2023, in Gaza the newborn deaths were at the rate of 10-16 per 1000 live births. Today they are at 100 or more per 1000 live births. Read this report.