November 25th was a disgraceful day at York University in Canada for all who truly believe in and respect freedom of expression. The situation is getting out of hand, and something must be done before the next phase comes - as history has proven it does.
The previous Sunday, at a gathering where Noam Chomsky spoke, a flyer was being distributed which contained a severe libel. It expressed concerns by a York professor, David Noble, that "minority" voices, such as that of the Arabs at York, are not being heard due to the wealthy Jewish lobby group that apparently controls York, as he implied. Noble implied this by listing various York officials who happen to be Jewish.
Moreover, in the wake of this disgusting piece of anti-Semitism being passed around, "progressive" students and the Stewards' Council of the local branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 3903) organized a rally at Vari Hall. There, they demonstrated "in opposition to the trend of harassment and intimidation of social justice activists by your administration". In their open letter to York's president, they write that "as of last week, York Professor David Noble is being publicly defamed by your administration for handing out a small number of leaflets suggesting that the political conduct of York University's administration is in large part influenced by the politics of your financial contributors."
Does this sound familiar to anyone? In the years before the atrocities against Jews in Europe occurred, it is well known that information such as that being disseminated by Noble was being spread around academia. Jews were getting "much too powerful", and therefore action had to be taken. The despicable actions demonstrated in response by the so called "progressives" of our generation has proved to me once again, why it is imperative that as Jews, we must show full support and respect for our home, Eretz Israel.
My rage is multiplied by the fact that the freedom of expression these "progressives" rally for only applies when propaganda against Jews is concerned. When a student decides to show support for the Jewish state, he is restricted from doing so. I know this, because this is what happened to me.
While this show of hatred was occurring in the middle of York by these "academics", I was restricted from being anywhere in proximity of the events. Moreover, sources have indicated that while these thugs were promoting and expressing their hate towards the "wag the dog" establishment that has become York University, hundreds of students gathered in support of their actions.
As a community concerned for the future, we must stand together and fight the disease of anti-Semitism that is once again affecting our campuses. Moreover, we must realize that it is exactly these situations that must impact all peace-loving souls to show passionate love and support for our home. This must make us all realize once again the reality that this (Exile) is not our home, it is merely a passageway where we are loved by some, and hated by many. It is distressing, yet comforting that at times like this, we - Am Israel - have something our grandparents were not lucky enough to have. Baruch HaShem.
The previous Sunday, at a gathering where Noam Chomsky spoke, a flyer was being distributed which contained a severe libel. It expressed concerns by a York professor, David Noble, that "minority" voices, such as that of the Arabs at York, are not being heard due to the wealthy Jewish lobby group that apparently controls York, as he implied. Noble implied this by listing various York officials who happen to be Jewish.
Moreover, in the wake of this disgusting piece of anti-Semitism being passed around, "progressive" students and the Stewards' Council of the local branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 3903) organized a rally at Vari Hall. There, they demonstrated "in opposition to the trend of harassment and intimidation of social justice activists by your administration". In their open letter to York's president, they write that "as of last week, York Professor David Noble is being publicly defamed by your administration for handing out a small number of leaflets suggesting that the political conduct of York University's administration is in large part influenced by the politics of your financial contributors."
Does this sound familiar to anyone? In the years before the atrocities against Jews in Europe occurred, it is well known that information such as that being disseminated by Noble was being spread around academia. Jews were getting "much too powerful", and therefore action had to be taken. The despicable actions demonstrated in response by the so called "progressives" of our generation has proved to me once again, why it is imperative that as Jews, we must show full support and respect for our home, Eretz Israel.
My rage is multiplied by the fact that the freedom of expression these "progressives" rally for only applies when propaganda against Jews is concerned. When a student decides to show support for the Jewish state, he is restricted from doing so. I know this, because this is what happened to me.
While this show of hatred was occurring in the middle of York by these "academics", I was restricted from being anywhere in proximity of the events. Moreover, sources have indicated that while these thugs were promoting and expressing their hate towards the "wag the dog" establishment that has become York University, hundreds of students gathered in support of their actions.
As a community concerned for the future, we must stand together and fight the disease of anti-Semitism that is once again affecting our campuses. Moreover, we must realize that it is exactly these situations that must impact all peace-loving souls to show passionate love and support for our home. This must make us all realize once again the reality that this (Exile) is not our home, it is merely a passageway where we are loved by some, and hated by many. It is distressing, yet comforting that at times like this, we - Am Israel - have something our grandparents were not lucky enough to have. Baruch HaShem.