Today I ask the 330,000 Canadian Jews to think about “repairing the world.” We have to start with examining our role in supporting what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. The progressive world’s gaze is now fixated on opposing settler colonialism, and fighting racism and inequality. It is Jews’ responsibility to force Israel to end its illegal and brutal occupation of Palestinians’ lands.
Judy Haiven’s speech on the occasion of Sunday’s Solidarity Vigil for the victims of the terrorist attack in London, Ontario, that took away the lives of four Muslims and left a little boy severely injured and orphaned.
A quick story and some photos of last Wednesday’s vigil in downtown Halifax in remembrance of the Palestinians killed by the Israeli airstrikes. Just to put it on the record.
Press release: Halifax Police chief Dan Kinsella owes an apology to the pro-Palestine drivers and their passengers at the Free Palestine COVID Safe Car Rally
“Ten years ago, my family and I stood shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. We saw the Orthodox Jewish settlers invading the area and doing what they could to evict Palestinians from their homes.” Judy Haiven at yesterday’s webinar on the Nakba and the current attacks on Gaza.
In Halifax, Nova Scotia, today, on Saturday, May 15th, we are providing the community with the answer to that question and the historical context of the Nakba. This will be done so with a panel discussion of 6 individuals, whom all have fought vehemently for Palestinian rights in Canada. The discussion will be moderated by Rana Zaman.
PSA: Unknown individuals are placing unattributed adhesive stickers around Halifax that promote conspiracy theories and foment hatred toward vulnerable groups, especially using COVID-19 as a starting point. Independent Jewish Voices condemns this spate of hate and is calling on people of good will to report these affronts so that we can monitor their proliferation and messages and take measures to stop them.
The Dalhousie Muslim Students’ Association, in collaboration with the Dalhousie Arabic Society, Canadians, Arabs and Jews for a Just Peace, Independent Jewish Voices – Halifax , Human Rights Coalition and Free Palestine HFX is organizing a demonstration regarding this issue on the 22nd of August (Saturday) at the Victoria Park. We will be working on lobbying efforts to our politicians to ask them to not keep quiet while such human rights violations occur and would appreciate your help in these efforts. It is sad to see a lack of salient intervention from the international community, especially from a peacekeeping country like Canada.
The two main Jewish organizations are silent on the recent racist attacks on Black people on both sides of the border. “Human and civil rights organisations one after the other have come out in support of the campaign Black Lives Matter – but not B’nai Brith Canada, or CIJA,” writes Judy Haiven.
On this bitterly cold afternoon some 20 people gathered at the Grand Parade to remember the horrific attack three years ago on a Quebec City mosque and the six men who were murdered, Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, and Ibrahima Barry, 39.