The shooting at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School last weekend in Toronto was of a piece with the intimidation, and bullying that has been directed for the last seven months at the Jewish community by haters of Jews and haters of Israel, not only in Ontario but throughout the country and in the capitals of the West. Thugs become bolder and their brutish ways, more cruel when authorities express outrage but fail to act outraged. Indeed, mere days after the Toronto shooting, gunfire struck a Jewish school in Montreal – once again.
JEFA (Jewish Educators and Family Association of Canada) pointed to this phenomenon of failed enforcement of rules and of decency in a missive the organization sent to members this week. Under a caption that noted Jewish day schools are Canada’s top target of domestic terrorism, JEFA declared that lofty ideas are no longer adequate to vanquish antisemitism and to protect civil society. “From this moment forward,” JEFA stated, “it’s vital that our elected officials be judged only by their actions.”
JEFA reported that a motion had been tabled this week at the TDSB to try to keep politics out of the classroom. One of the examples, JEFA noted, of egregious political behaviour in a classroom involved a teacher at Earl Grey Public School who daily disrespects Canada’s national anthem, has worn a keffiyeh in school since October 7, used an Al Jazeera video to explain the founding of Israel as the ‘nakba’ and displayed posters calling for ‘Ceasefire Now’ with a QR code tied to a fund for Palestinians.
The motion had asked TDSB staff to bring forward recommendations that would steer education in the classroom back to education and away from politics and propaganda and, dare we say, away from opinions that lead to hatred. Unfortunately, and inexplicably, the motion was rejected.
How are we to understand this utter failure on the part of the leaders of our educational system in the TDSB? Do they not see their responsibilities in terms of protecting our society, in terms of helping instill and nurture in our children the need to hold high the cherished values of mutual respect, tolerance, and the sanctity of truth?
At a community rally at the premises of Bais Chaya Mushka two days after the violence directed at the school, Ontario’s Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, urged all of Ontario, not just Jews to stand up against incidents of antisemitism to become a force against hatred.
“We are here with a message, asking Canadians to stand up shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community in defence of democracy, civility, human rights and the rule of law,” Lecce said.
As we have written on previous occasions about Minister Lecce, he gets it. He understands that violence aimed at Jews soon transmogrifies into violence against others as well. Attempts to harm Jews is a cover for attempts to harm the rule of law that protects everyone.
“We stand together, we stand strong, because there is no bullet that can shatter our resolve as a country to stand up against this pernicious hate, Minister Lecce added. “Our work will not end until every child in our province is able to go to school, and play in our streets without the fear of being attacked simply for being a Jew. The Canada we know and we love is a nation of people who come together for every faith and heritage.”
We are grateful to the Minister. That he publicly, vociferously calls out the craven warriors of the night who mask themselves under the shelter of darkness, then aim their weapons or throw their torches at schools, is worthy of praise. Stephen Lecce understands what is at stake for our society when the private hatred of Jews finds its public expression in acts of thuggery, intimidation, perversion of truth, and violence.
It is because of our gratitude to Minister Lecce for the clarity of his insight that we remind him of the words he spoke in the Ontario Legislature in the immediate aftermath of October 7. “We have to speak with moral decency, with moral courage. We will not be bystanders. We will use our power for good. We must be on guard for all manners of hate and fight hate and haters….For the sake of freedom, human rights and democracy, I ask us all: Do we possess the moral courage to do what is right even if it is not easy? Do we possess the moral courage to stand up to evil?… We are standing for fundamental Canadian values that transcend partisan politics. We must pick the right side of human history.”
At this troubled and troubling moment in Canadian history, Jews will stand against the bigots and the bullies, in the way we have done so throughout our history – by “raising” Jews, by educating our children to know the splendour and the deep goodness of our heritage and of our way of life. That is how we will “fight back” against those who regret our very existence as Jews and as supporters of the only Jewish state on earth.
We ask Minister Lecce to find the courage of which he spoke so eloquently and so forcefully in October. For the sake of protecting the values we cherish in Ontario society, we ask him to end the unfairness in educational funding in Ontario.
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Ontario’s appeal of Judge Eugenia Papageorgiou’s decision refusing to throw out GAJE’s application for fairness in educational funding even before a court has had the chance to consider its merits will be heard on June 11. If the appeal fails, the application proceeds, finally, to a hearing. If the appeal succeeds, GAJE will appeal.
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit, please click here.
For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of underwriting the costs of the lawsuit.
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Shabbat shalom.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
May 31, 2024
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 