Israeli Jews, don't worry about Canada
Expend energy on fighting for democracy and justice in Israel-Palestine
A central premise of this newsletter is that diaspora Jewish communities need a connection to Judaism that transcends Israel. To wit, there is “more life” to Judaism beyond loving and mythologizing Israel. What that life looks like will depend on the individual: it can be based on Torah (the Old Testament), religious practice, cultural preferences, tikkun olam, academic study, social justice or none of these options. Whether we Jews live in Canada, the U.S., Argentina or elsewhere, we exist as minority communities in a democratic societies. We choose these lives for many, many reasons, and we understand that there’s no utopia for Jews on this planet (and presumably any other).
The rejection of this basic premise by Zionists—a major component of Zionist ideology throughout its history—is called “shlilat hagalut,” i.e., the “negation of the Diaspora.” And it’s easy to find examples of this right now.
Case in point: an Israeli Jewish woman from Canada posted about antisemitism and pro-Palestine protests in Canada on LinkedIn. She wrote that first “they came for the Jews, then the LGBTQ+ community, then they came for… .” It appears that the post is a Jewish-centric reworking of Pastor Martin Niemoller’s poem.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
The flaw with using that poem is that humanity isn’t particular. Israeli Jews may not believe or like it, but Palestinians are human beings who deserve equality and justice.
With all of that context, I write this letter in reply.
Dear ___,
Based on the available reporting, organizers of Toronto’s Pride parade decided to end the event early in order to avoid police intervention against pro-Palestine protesters. Whether that was wise can be debated. However, we can contrast this with Israel where police regularly use water cannons to break up protests by Israeli Jews. Those who protest in Israel now allegedly face more violence from police, according to a Labor Party parliamentarian.
Second, your attempt to apply Niemoller’s poem to Canada seems deeply questionable, given what’s happening in Israel. First, Israeli authorities came for Al Jazeera. Then they came for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship. Then they came for the Israeli Jewish left, labelling them traitors for believing in peace with Palestinians. Then they came for at least one professor, which I wrote about in May. In June, the National Union of Israeli Students sponsored a law that proposes “academic institutions will be required to immediately dismiss, in an expedited process and without compensation, lecturers who speak out in ways perceived as negating Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incitement of terrorism.”1
Fascism has embedded itself in Israel, writes Orly Noy in 972 Magazine.
The proposed “Likes Law” seeks to penalize the mere act of “liking” social media posts that “incite terror,” while another proposed law would expand the Shin Bet’s surveillance of teachers. And to these we must add the forced closure of Al Jazeera’s offices, which only increased the appetite of Israeli ministers to promote a law permitting them to shut down Israeli media outlets without any limitations.
Another particularly alarming manifestation of this slide toward fascism is the transformation of the police into a body of henchmen that almost exclusively serves the interests of the government and its worldview. Instead of protecting Israeli citizens, police are cracking down on those who protest the government and the war—even those demanding to bring the hostages home—while also inflicting horrifying violence on demonstrators during detention and imprisonment.2
Yes, Canada is imperfect, and antisemitism here must be condemned. But it is being reported on, and it is not new. There’s also anecdotal evidence that hatred against Jews increases dramatically during Israel’s wars, which is abhorrent.
However, it is our prerogative and duty as diaspora Jews to criticize Israel. We can and should make demands of the country to embrace laws of equality and democracy as we enjoy in the diaspora. In fact, our right is enshrined in the 2018 Nation-State Law. It is one of Israel’s Basic Laws that exist in lieu of a constitution. Here are its basic principles.
1(a). The Land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish People, in which the State of Israel was established.
(b) The State of Israel is the nation state of the Jewish People in which it realizes its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination.
(c) The realization of the right to national self-determination in the State of Israel is exclusive to the Jewish People.3
Therefore, I think any Jew, whether lapsed or active, is entitled to a say about Israel until the Nation-State law is rescinded or amended. Rather than complaining about pro-Palestine advocacy in Canada—people who can use questionable means to protest the “plausible genocide” in Gaza—ask yourself how you can strive to uphold the imperfect democratic values of your former country in Israel. More importantly, please understand that there’s no law or rule that gives Israeli Jews the moral right to criticize the Jewish diaspora. If you are truly worried about Canada, then come back.
Best,
Blake
The law was reported on by Ha’aretz on June 4, 2024.
Orly Noy’s article is here: https://www.972mag.com/anti-fascist-front-israel/
The entire Nation-State Law is here: https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/Documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawNationState.pdf