The National Post and Canadian Jewish Congress attack Independent Jewish Voices (again)

Last week, the National Post published a screed yet again attacking Independent Jewish Voices and its former chair, Diana Ralph. Several years ago, prior to joining Independent Jewish Voices, Ralph wrote a chapter for a book called Hidden History of 9-11 in which her thesis was that the Bush Administration was using 9-11 as a pretext for an imperialist adventure in the Middle East and for Islamophobic measures at home.

Unfortunately, Ralph also made a few statements in passing that seemed to lend credibility to 9-11 conspiracy theories. The Post and the CJC have deliberately overstated this element of her writings in order to imply that Ralph herself is a conspiracy theorist and then tar Independent Jewish Voices by association despite the fact that IJV has never issued a single statement on 9-11 and despite the fact that an IJV spokesperson clearly told the Post that "The positions of Diana Ralph stated in those articles do not represent the positions of the IJV."

By challenging the monopoly uncritically Zionist groups such as the Canadian Jewish Congress and B'nai Brith Canada have claimed over Jewish opinion in this country IJV has undermined both the myth that Canadian Jews are of one voice when it comes to Israel and challenged the slur that criticism of Israel is tantamount to anti-Semitism. As a result, the CJC in particular has pulled out the stops in its attempt to isolate, vilify and marginalize IJV and harass any organization, such as the United Church of Canada, that has dealings with the organization.

The National Post, accordingly, when referring to IJV makes sure to also refer to it as having been "recently chaired by 9/11 conspiracy theorist Diana Ralph." The Post also takes issue with the fact that as past-co-chair, Ralph remains on IJV's executive.

There is a searing double standard here. The co-president of the Canadian Jewish Congress from 2007 to 2009 was a man named Reuven Bulka. He remains a member of the CJC's Board of Directors as "immediate past president." Now, prior to becoming co-president of the CJC, Bulka wrote a book called One Man, One Woman, One Lifetime in which he described homosexuality as "abnormal" and called on lesbian and gay Jews to seek "the help of mental health professionals and spiritual advisors". Not only that but Bulka served for years on the "scientific advisory committee" of a group called the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality which views homosexuality as a "psychological condition" and "developmental disorder" and offers "conversion therapy" which it claims will "cure" homosexuality. Despite Bulka's clear and longstanding association with a crackpot, pseudoscientific homophobic organization the good people of the National Post never follow references to the Canadian Jewish Congress with a statement such as "recently led by homophobic pseudoscience advocate Reuven Bulka" or write anything that implies that the CJC shares Bulka's views. Of course, the reason for the Post's inconsistent treatment of two Jewish groups has everything with ideology and nothing to do with journalistic ethics. Jonathan Kay has gone to great lengths sifting through the writings of IJV's former leader in hopes of finding something he can trump up into scandal but he's never given Rabbi Bulka's writings a second glance. Why?

yes indeed skdadl....

From an unchecked ideological racism.

Unless there is evidence that Mr. Bulka has changed his mind about homosexuality, what he has published should be a valid cause for concern.  It's not "dragging up someone's sins" to warn the public about the person's ideas or at least to divulge his or her positions on other political issues, which may confirm a general attitude.  If a reactionary wants to "drag up" my sin of having published a book that favourable (or at least uncritical) toward Latin American revolution 35 years ago, expressing ideas which I have never renounced in subsequent publications, then it's their prerrogative to do so if they want to use it to caution the public about how dangerous I can be. (Ha. Ha. Armchair activist that I 've always been.)  CSIS and other security agencies certainly keep track secretly of one's sins, old and new, so why can't the public be informed?

So, aka M, you see how Bulka's sins get used by Zionists to create diversions? It doesn't take them two seconds before they get with the "look over there!!!" program.

IJV should keep their focus on putting forward progressive positions on behalf of Jews, and having utter contempt for individual attacks and character assassination. Otherwise, you're on a playing field where BB and CJC and CPC are past masters and reigning champions.

Yup...looks like unionist was right.

What is a "trained psychotherapist"?

It means he has a psychology degree, or is a certified/registered counsellor

... guess supporters of the CJC and BBC, have advanced knowlege of contradictions, so are qualified to pronounce here that they think they perceive such..

Reverend Robert C. Assaly, eh?

Sounds like another Hamas/Hizbollah operative working under cover in this fair and democratic country.

Here's another letter:

Re: United Church, Jewish Group Try To Reconcile, Jan. 29.

Kathryn Blaze Carlson reports on the attempt by the Canadian Jewish Congress to blackmail the United Church into abandoning its tradition of openness and "repent" for its support of the Independent Jewish Voices of Canada. No single organization can possibly represent the opinions of an entire community, whether Jewish, Greek or Arab. The establishment of the Independent Jewish Voices of Canada, inspired by a similar group in Britain, has brought diversity to the monolithic image of Canadian Jewry promoted by the Canadian Jewish Congress.

This is particularly grievous since the Congress creates a dangerous false impression, namely that Canadian Jews are united behind Israel and its military actions, even though many Jews have qualified these actions as crimes of war. It is this kind of misrepresentation that foments anti-Jewish sentiment in our country that the Independent Jewish Voices is trying to contest. The United Church has no reason to be ashamed of its help to the then-fledging organization.

It is the Canadian Jewish Congress that should be ashamed of its unconditional support for Israel, "my country right or wrong," and of its self-righteous arrogance in pressuring the United Church.

Yakov M. Rabkin, professor of History, University of Montreal.

I'm guessing, from the 416 area code, that the above is taking place at the centre of the universe?

And thanks for linking to the letter, Mycroft. Why do you think the NP is printing these replies? A crise de conscience? Is this what CCAA protection does?

I know Professor Rabkin having had some contact with him in Montreal. Don't you think he should have indicated that he is a member of the "Independent Jewish Voices"?

I hardly ever see letter writers identify their organizational affiliation unless they are actually authorized to speak on behalf of the organization. I sign myself as being with this or that organization when I'm writing in an official capacity and do not do so when I'm just speaking for myself and while there may be an expectation that an officer or employee of an organization identify themselves as such when writing a letter to the editor about their organization I don't think there's any such expectation for rank and file members. If there were then then the complexion of every letters to the editor page would be quite different. I frequently see letters about Canadian politics by people I know to be a member of this NDP riding association or that Liberal or Tory riding association who do not declare their party membership in their correspondence (unless they are actually members of a party executive - and even then...)

Or are you suggesting that rank and file or even mid-level members of CJC, Bnai Brith etc who write to newspapers always identify themselves as such? I'm pretty sure we can find examples of that not being the case without much trouble.

Anyway, if posters who were affiliated or even employed by the CJC identified themselves as such when they post to babble then you might have a point.  (Not suggesting that you are - just that others have been)

Ain't no such thing as a "certified/registered counsellor" as far as I know.  That was the point I'm making.  Anyone can call themselves a "psychotherapist" or a "counsellor".  You don't have to have any qualifications whatsoever to call yourself those things.  It's "psychiatrist" and "psychologist" and "doctor" that you have to be certified and registered to call yourself.  Might differ from province to province, though, I don't know.

Most certainly there are registered and certified counsellors Michelle, who do not have a degree, even in Ontario, just do a search engine search, to see for yourself.

Psychiatrists are regulated but, until recently, in Ontario anyone could call themselves a "psychotherapist" without necessarily having any credentials.

This changed in 2007 with the passage of the Psychotherapy Act and the creation of the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario. I believe we are still in the transitional stage were regulation hasn't been fully implemented.

According to the website of Rabbi Bulka's synagogue:

"He received his Semicha (Rabbinic ordination) from the Rabbi Yaakov Yoseph Rabbinical Seminary, New York, in 1965 and his Ph.D. (concentration in the Logotherapy of Viktor Frankl) from the University of Ottawa in 1971"

akamycroft, I was at the Gay Pride parade marching with kulanau, The Jewish LGBT group, and frankl;y I'm pretty tired of this ongoing smear of my kulanu friends and Farber.

We were selling that t-shirt to gays and straights as a momey maker. Farber and about 75 others bought the shirt and wore it in solidarity with their LGBT brothers and sisters. No one but you and a few others then decided to use this against him and us.

Second, Farber marched in the gay pride parade in 08 as well. He wore a CJC hat and t-shirt. Enough with this already!!

I'm curious about the way the McCarthyite attack has ramped up fairly steeply just over the last year, even less than that. Am I wrong to sense that it has? Is that just in Canada, where there is a cabal within the government that actually has some power to do institutional damage and is intent on using it (the Kenney party)? Is it in reaction to the Goldstone report? Because people are saying and doing some extreme things, things with consequences.

For the first year or so of IJV's existence the CJC tried to ignore it. That didn't work so they've moved on to a campaign of vilification and attempted isoloation. One should ask why the CJC is so obsessed with IJV that they are making relations between IJV and UCC a major focus of their own discussions with UCC.

Goldstone is certainly part of it and there is, similarly, an international campaign of vilification aimed at the South African jurist and self-described Zionist. Related is the "new antisemitism" campaign which has recently been revived and attempts to smear virtually all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic.

In regards to Goldstone, See for example this article from Ha'aretz:

Dershowitz: Goldstone is a traitor to the Jewish people

Meanwhile, despite the throroughgoing thrashing Goldstone has received, the government of Israel has been forced to admit backhandedly that he is on to something.

Israel reprimands top officers over UN compound strike

Ummmm ... As I recall, Farber's participation in Gay Pride last year was a little more complicated than Jaku and Gus are saying.

Farber had earlier attempted to instruct the Toronto Pride organizers on the very nature of their march. He had claimed that political groups do not belong in a gay pride march, which I thought was very funny, or at least it would have been if we didn't know that so many people think in his sort of categories.

So he asked for it, y'know? He asked for it by being bossy and presumptuous. Just as he is doing now with the UCC, an organization founded on presbyteries that are never going to take the kind of "national guidance" that he thinks they should, in his incurably patriarchal way.

The one good thing about neocons -- they always overreach. When they see that they have a small advantage, they jump the shark and try to take over too much too fast, and suddenly decent people start to think, omigosh, this is going too far. Bernie Farber has gone too far.

Sorry, Unionist. I lost my temper. Bad habit. You are right.

You're right Unionist; let's focus on the essential issue here: Israel's hasbara machine has gone into superdrive in an effort to vilify any criticism from Israel as witnessed by this new attack by Dershowitz on Judge Goldstone calling him "evil" and a traitor. Groups like the CJC are doing their part by vilifying Jewish critics in Canada, in particular IJV. Where once CJC could claim to be the "parliament of Canadian Jews" today they act like thought police within the Jewish community - hunting down heretics, casting them out, and ostracising them to the extent of even attacking the United Church for daring to associate with Jewish dissidents.

Israel once claimed to be a democratic state, however, that illusion is evaporating as the state ramps up repression not only against vocal Palestinian citizens of Israel, termed "Israel Arabs" but against NGOs and even the Jewish left. According to one report I've received:

And from the Jerusalem Post article linked to above about the attacks on the Israeli Jewish left:

Israeli left needs to wake up before it's too late

Here is the statement on CJC and IJV dfrom the United Church

http://www.united-church.ca/communications/news/general/100201b

Of course Unionist

Doesn't the "New Anti-Semitism" go back to the 1970s? 

That being said, there definitely an upsurge in the hysteria in the offical Jewish community about any criticism of Israel being either treasonous and/or anti-Semitic.  I think we are seeing the beginning of a Jewish break with Zionism, slowly and surely, especially among the youth.  It's not a complete break - certainly the Goldstone Report wasn't popular among so-called "mainstream Jews" - but they're certainly very worried about it.  On the university campuses the Hillels and other Jewish student groups are usually dominated by the 10-15% of Jewish students who are fanatics.  York in particular seems to attract a lot of these people.

ETA: A related point, Jews are far less to reluctant to criticize Israel publicly than they used to be.  Certainly in the last 10 years there has been a seachange.

And no sooner do I write the above than a letter appears in the National Post from one Marilyn Shapiro assailing Rabkin for not mentioning his "deep connection" to IJV.

Shapiro defends the CJC as "mainstream", attacks IJV and hammers home her point about Rabkin (and Assaly) saying:

So what's wrong with that?

Well...

...on the far left is Marilyn Shaprio. To her right are Wendy Lampert, CJC Director of Community Relations; Len Rudner, CJC Ontario Regional Director; Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty; Igor Ellyn, CJC Board of Directors; David Katz, Chair CJC Charities Committee. The picture is from a reception the CJC held at Queen's Park last year. Why was Shapiro in that picture? It could be because she was the CJC's delegate to the most recent World Jewish Congress (see page 12 of the January 2009 CJC newsletter)

Anyway, as I was saying Martha, CJC operatives often write letters to the editor without identifying their affilations so I don't see the problem with Rabkin, who holds no position in IJV and is not a paid staffer, doing the same. Of course, I didn't expect my point to be proven so spectacularly and hypocritically by Marilyn Shapiro. Please give her my thanks.

Good work, Mycroft.

Gee, those were exactly my thoughts when I read Farber arrogating to himself the power to give paternalistic advice and guidance to the UCC.

Farber is clearly clueless about presbyterian organization, and I suspect intellectually and morally resistant to understanding them. Unfortunately, he appears to have succeeded temporarily in intimidating some national council gasbags into placating him, a state of affairs that will in no sense be settled in the church as a whole by this statement, which they will no doubt find out at the next conference, if they aren't already hearing it, as I should think they would be.

In other news, Ezra Levant has followed up on his last taunting of Irwin Cotler by calling Cotler an Uncle Tom and the Liberal Party's "porch Jew," and gossiping about the "court Jews" in the party in general. I believe the original taunt was "house Jew." I don't think I should link to Levant's site here, but if anyone can't find this by googling, send me a PM.

That's what I meant, though, by the ramping up. Even for Ezra, isn't that 'way over the top?

Farber likes organizing everything.  He even told the Toronto Pride how to organize a pride parade.  Pride was meant to be non-political in his opinion.  Maybe Bernie should have a reality TV show where he can go to different organizations and families and teach them how to organize different events and activties.

"Dear Fatah Party of eastern Israel:"

"I'll tell you how to negotiate.  You must lay down all weapons, recognize Iarael, accept Israel's terms of surrender, and then negotiate in Egypt with an Egyptian mediator.  Don't try for mediation through a European.  Certainly don't call for a boycott in Europe of Israeli products and services.  You'll only make things worse for yourself.  Israel is like your bigger brother who grabs your arm and then says, 'Don't hit yourself.  Don't hit yourself.'"

Marylin Shapiro was at a WJC conclave and a Queens Park event honoring CJC? So what? I understand that all Canadian Jews who support the positions of CJC and give to their local UJA can be part of CJC. I know some people who were at the Q!ueens Park event as well but are not members of any committee of CJC or on its Board. If in fact like Rabkin Shapiro sits on a CJC Board or committee then that should have been stated, Otherwise unlike Rabkin she is a member of the Canadian jewish community free to come to plenaries and conclaves as is any Jew who meets the criteria. Heck as I recall Ebie Wiesfeld attended the CJC plenary as did Diane Ralph.

Actually Mycroft there seems to have been many who went to Israel for the WJC conclave. In order to attend their conclaves you do not have to be a mamber of CJC . In fact many Jewish groups from around the world bring jewish delehgates to the WJC conclave. These people are not necessarily Board members or committee members, just committed Jews who want to participate.

Unless you have proof that Shapiro is a Board member or sits on any official committees of CJC the analogy simply doesn't hold. The problem for you Akamycroft, is that you don't get the fact that the vast majority of Jews , literally thousands, affiliate in some waay with UJA or CJC. They give money to UJA are they members? They attend CJC sponsored events, are they members? All synagogues are under the CJC unbrella, are all these synagogue members also "members" of CJC? Of course not. Continue to play this any way you want but it doeant fly

Is that so akamycroft? Well perhaps you haven't seen this from the IJV website.. Its actually an article written by Yacov Rabkin where he describes himself as a member of IJV

"The author is Professor of History at the University of Montreal, a member of Independent Jewish Voices Montreal, currently Visiting Scholar at La Trobe University. His recent book is A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism. These comments were made at the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, after the play was performed there on May 18.

http://ijvcanada.org/ijv-activities-vji-nos-activites/seven-jewish-child...

Um Gus, I didn't say Rabkin isn't a member of IJV, I said he "is not a member of any IJV board or committee" in the same way you said Shapiro doesn't belong to a CJC board or committee. I did, however, say Reverend Assalay, who Shapiro also attacked for not identifying his "involvement" with IJV, is not a member of the group.

Now please stop, you're embarassing yourself.

This is all too funny and is really a good example of how folks on the peripherary of the Canadian Jewish community simply don't understand how the community functions.

CJC is not a "membership" organization. Any Canadian Jew who supports the mandate of CJC and gives to their local uja campaign is eligible to participate in its events, plenaries, meetings etc. That is why 20 Canadian Jews can go to a World Jewish Congress event in Israel as part of a CJC delegation. It a way to involve Canadian Jews in their community.

For the same reason CJC plenaries attract thousands as do other CJC events like Darfur Shabbat, and the struggle for Soviet and Syrian Jewry in which tens of nthousands of Canadian Jews participated under the auspices of CJC. They were not members; they were part of the Jewish community of which thousands are "affiliated either through their temple or hadassah or many other groups or just as individuals to CJC.

I went to the last WJC conclave in 2004 . I went under the auspices of CJC with 14 others. Absolutely none of us ever had any connection to CJC in the past. None of us belonged to any of the myriad of Boards and committees the CJC operates. We were, like Marylin Shapiro, Canadian Jews supportive of the CJC and UJA work. That's it.

So I guess you can continue to flog this horse mycroft but in fact you are flogging a dead horse. Time to stop,.

We should ask Ezra Levant how many Jewish Conservative MPs there are.

One way for the Conservatives not to make inroads in the Jewish community is by continuing to attack Cotler in this manner.  He is highly respected in the Jewish community.

Anyone watch The National last night? Canada as the stupidest most pro-Israel nation on earth?

Here's something to pull out the next time someone says using the word apartheid is "hate speech":

Barak: make peace with Palestinians or face apartheid

I expect last night's comments will be dissected by tonight's regular Thursday At Issue panel. I can hardly wait.

We have gone very much off topic here seems to me.

I am an avid reader of this site. I dont post often and after your response I may not respond when you are in the thread. Your admonition was ill-advised and certainly unecessary.

In the end you are wrong. The title of this thread is: The National Post and Canadian Jewish Congress attack independent Jewish voices again. How are the latest posts on topic?

That  nonsense last night on the CBC was gag worthy, at best,  and I lost complete respect for Wendy M, not that I had much left anyway.

Maybe her or Peter are going for the next round of Senate appointees?

As for him stating that Harper was not an honest broker and basically infering that he and other Jewish people love it that he is so..or at least 65% of Jewish people in Canacda do, I was gob smacked.

Thank you ying yang for not succumbing to Unionist's bullying and gettin back on topic. The UCC had already distanced itself from IJV (needlessly I believe) so I wonder why this had to be re-done. As for CJC, complain about it all you want but it knows how to advocate.

Within Israel the attacks on even the Zionist left is intensifying.

And more on NIF http://www.forward.com/articles/124920/

Apologies OG it was honestly meant as an attempt at humour...

Good for Caplan! Could he be "one of the few Jews in the world opposed to Israel as a Jewish homeland", in the carefully scripted words of Thornhill resident Marilyn Shapiro?

Every time a Jew of conscience speaks out, it is another blow against the "anti-Israel = anti-Jewish" Harper-Dimant-Farber "mainstream". This conscience is awakening around the world.

Diana Ralph of IJV answers Jonathan Kay's (and others') attacks on her in the National Post.

Didn't Iggy once say that the shelling of Qana was a war crime?

I didn't know that Antonia Zerbisias is Jewish.  Not that that makes what she says any more or less valid.

You can be Canadian, Greek descent, and Jewish. I hereby bestow the Honorary Jew title on Antonia. She's done more than most to merit it.

SSC, no. That is not what she wrote, although I don't have that compressed text before me (including link to a vid of Cotler's statement). But it was clear from what Zerbisias said that she wasn't focused on anything the daughter did -- she was bothered by Cotler's statement, and she addressed that fairly, without dragging his family into it.

Yeah, the McCarthyites of the National Post jumped on that one. Here's Dr. Dawg's deconstruction of how the character assassination works. We see it on babble all the time.

I won't respond to SSC's hysterical blood libel here. I'll only say that I question Irwin Cotler's loyalty to the best traditions of the Jewish people.

SSC, have you watched that video? It's Cotler who drags his family in, not anyone else. And it is Cotler's statement that is the problem. And Antonia puts her question to Cotler, not to his family.

I recognize that it is not necessarily illegal for a Canadian to join the forces of another country, or to endorse that, although the potential for trouble seems to me obvious. (See the very fast footwork that the U.S. DoJ is doing, post facto, to cope with Merkins who have fought with forces that were suddenly deemed hostile. Like, this is highly suspect in law.)

The problem was never Cotler's family, and no one would have mentioned them if he hadn't. The problem is what Cotler said. He is not just any Canadian. He is a former minister of justice, and could be such again. It wouldn't matter who he was talking about joining up with a foreign army -- Canadians have the right to wonder about someone with his kind of official power who would urge other Canadians to do that.

This thread will end soon, but SSC is providing another stirring example of what Richard Falk called the "politics of deflection, the tendency by Israel to attack the messenger in order to avoid the message."

I don't think so, SCC. That is more than the statement of a proud father, although Cotler (to my mind) mixes principle and personal stuff up in a most unprincipled way for a parliamentarian, but maybe he does that on purpose, so as to have a sentimentalist defence to fall back on when someone challenges him on principle.

I do not believe that members of our government -- and I include the whole of Parliament -- should be actively encouraging Canadians to join armies of foreign powers. No, that is not illegal -- until it becomes illegal, which can happen very fast (see the U.S. for examples) -- but is that our standard for MPs and ministers? Oh, great: we can elect him because at least he isn't a criminal?

I'm an internationalist. I hope that one day we won't have these problems. But at the moment, we do. And I wonder very much at anyone who would take away the right of a Canadian citizen to question the wisdom of proselytizing for a foreign army. That's what Antonia did, and it is frightening that she was attacked for it.

Thank you for the blog link.
It is not surprising the Independent Jewish Voices should be vilified by the organs of the ultra-Zionist Asper media empire.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that a defense against this outrage is relegated to blogs and not other taken up by other major media outlets which are either complicit or cowed by the implicit threat of being labeled "antisemitic" or an "enemy of Jews" by the lobby.

How different the situation was years ago before the pro-Israel penchant for revisionist history made Albert Einstein one of their own:

One mo' time, Cotler,s daughter is Israeli!!! israel has a military conscription. She had to serve by law. Why is this being made into Irwin Cotler's issue?

Read her quote. She mentioned that his daughters joined the IDF and then asked which country he is loyal to.

SSC, it's a tweet. She only has so many characters. Part of that is the link to the video, and the video is text. The question follows.

Have you watched the video?