B'nai Brith backs off Holocaust denial charge against York conference.

17 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2009-06-21 13:01

aka Mycroft

Quote:
Statement regarding the Conference at York University Israel/Palestine: Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace

On June 12, 2009, B'nai Brith Canada issued a community alert through its listserv JewishCanada regarding the conference. The alert set out a list of concerns including a claim that the conference would be hosting Holocaust deniers. This particular concern arose from a quote regarding Holocaust denial attributed to Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, one of the presenters and a member of the conference's advisory committee. The quote was found by our student intern on current live websites.

It has since come to our attention that this quote was and continues to be erroneously attributed to Mr. Abunimah by such websites. The quote that we attributed to Mr. Abunimah appears in an article written by somebody wholly different than him and in no way associated with him. On learning this, we immediately corrected our records and documents, removed the mistaken information from our website and notified the universities involved. This statement is also being sent over JewishCanada.

B'nai Brith Canada regrets this specific error and apologizes to Mr. Abunimah, the conference organizers, York University, Queen's University, and the other sponsors and funders for any confusion or distress that this mistaken attribution may have caused.

In our June 12 alert we also state that the conference was hosting presenters who "advocate for the destruction of the Jewish state," "reject compromise" and "justify terrorism" as well as raising concern of the conference's overall anti-Israel thrust. These concerns still stand. We arrived at these concerns as a result of quotations taken from statements made by conference presenters. The conference organizers have raised concern that these quotations were taken out of context. We will be posting links to the full text of the articles containing the quotations cited therein on our website www.bnaibrith.ca so that the public can judge the full context of the quotations and the statements from which they were taken for themselves.

- This statement must be quoted in its entirety-

Egg. Meet face.

Sun, 2009-06-21 13:17

spatrioter

I wonder if Minister of Creationism Gary Goodyear will stop using B'nai Brith as his research source next time he questions funding for academic conferences.

Sun, 2009-06-21 13:34

Unionist

B'nai Brith should be banned. They advocate terrorism, reject compromise, and endanger the existence of the Jewish people every time they open their mouths.

Sun, 2009-06-21 13:49

Stockholm

What do you have against B'nai B'rith? Everytime they intervene, support for Israel declines. They are about as useful to Israel as Rev. Phelps is to the anti-same sex marriage crowd.

Sun, 2009-06-21 14:00

Unionist

Let me put it this way, Stockholm. When a murderer kills someone, people are shocked and appalled. It doesn't generate support for murder. Nonetheless, the murderer ought to be apprehended and locked away.

Sun, 2009-06-21 14:13

remind

Actually, what this press release has done is expose that Goodyear is a puppet, as it is quite evident they were using him and his posiiton as an "elected" official, as leverage for furthering an agenda to silence.

As does anyone honestly believe Goodyear would have even known about this conference, or if he did, would have acted in the previously unheard of manner he did, without being told to do so, by someone?

Sun, 2009-06-21 16:09

Jaku

Remind, you cannot be saying that a Jewish organization is controlling government policy surely not?

And as for B'nai Brith, did I read it right? Is B'nai Brith blaming their error on a student intern?

Sun, 2009-06-21 16:14

Unionist

Jaku wrote:

Remind, you cannot be saying that a Jewish organization is controlling government policy surely not?

"Jewish organization"? I understood remind to be saying that an extreme right-wing pro-Israeli group of gangsters was influencing its likeminded gangsters in government, such as Mr. "Good"year. There is nothing "Jewish" about B'nai Brith. Or would you call Canwest a "Jewish organization" as well, Jaku?

Quote:
And as for B'nai Brith, did I read it right? Is B'nai Brith blaming their error on a student intern?

You read it wrong. They continue to attack the conference on every single point except the one slight slip-up they admitted to. No one should be fooled by their phoney retraction on this one irrelevant point. They are still condemning honoured scholars and activists for their own dirty crimes - support for terrorism. B'nai Brith needs to be exposed, denounced, and banned.

Sun, 2009-06-21 17:59

aka Mycroft

Jaku wrote:

And as for B'nai Brith, did I read it right? Is B'nai Brith blaming their error on a student intern?

Pathetic, isn't it?

BTW Jaku, you never did explain why immediate past CJC Co-President Reuven Bulka isn't a homophobe and how it is that a supposed human rights organization like the CJC didn't balk at having him as their leader. In fact, as I recall, the CJC specifically decided to alter the rules in order to allow Bulka and Abitol to be co-presidents rather than have them run against each other for the president's job.

Sun, 2009-06-21 18:45

#10

remind

aka Mycroft wrote:
Jaku wrote:
And as for B'nai Brith, did I read it right? Is B'nai Brith blaming their error on a student intern?

Pathetic, isn't it?

A bit more than pathetic, me thinks. I would add delusionalness to it

As do they really think we are supoosed believe that said student intern can get a Cabinet minister to run political interference againt the conference too?

Sun, 2009-06-21 21:51

#11

Jaku

Unionist, B'nai Brith is an avowed Jewish organization. Canwest is a media group. I expect even you would understand the difference.

AKAmycroft, I have no idea why you are asking me this question. Such answers need to come from CJC. All I know is what I have read on their site and elsewhere. Their work on Vriend (a gay teacher from Alberta fired once he was outed CJC intervened on his behalf at the SCC and part of its argument was used in deciding in favour of Vriend by the SCC)and another past CJC president, Ed Morgan, represented liberal rabbis supporting gay marriage in the SCC while he was president of CJC.

Sun, 2009-06-21 21:57

#12

Unionist

Jaku wrote:

Unionist, B'nai Brith is an avowed Jewish organization.

They claim to be a Jewish organization - is that what you mean by "avowed"? They work against the best interests of the Jewish people. No one elected them to represent the Jewish people. So I assumed that by "Jewish organization", you meant that they have a few Jews around - like Canwest.

Quote:
Canwest is a media group. I expect even you would understand the difference.

I understand that one is a media group and the other is an extreme right-wing hatemongering group. But I don't understand what makes either one of them "Jewish" - which is why I made the comparison. Awaiting your explanation of what is "Jewish" about B'nai Brith.

Sun, 2009-06-21 22:11

#13

thanks

what's the SCC?

Mon, 2009-06-22 00:53

#14

martin dufresne

Supreme Court of Canada

Mon, 2009-06-22 02:31

#15

Diogenes

aka Mycroft wrote:

Egg. Meet face.

LOL

-Looking for an honest man

Wed, 2009-06-24 08:17

#16

Jaku

Im sorry Unionist, I had no idea that CANWEST claims to be a Jewish organization like B'nai Brith. I am sure CANWEST must have the Jewish statement somewhere in its charter or mandate because you of all people would never identify an organization as "faith-based" simply because you believe some of those associated with the entity are Jews. I mean after all you wouldn't refer to the Globe and Mail as a "Christian" newspaper would you? While you might refer to the Canadian Jewish News as a Jewish newspaper. Its all so very confusing

Wed, 2009-06-24 08:57

#17

Unionist

Let me simplify things for you, Jaku.

There is nothing Jewish about Canwest - only some Jews connected with its ownership.

The same holds true for B'nai Brith.

As for their actions, both are bad for the Jewish people.

Happy Fête nationale!

ETA: For further clarification of the true meaning of the word "Jewish", see [url=http://www.nyu.edu/projects/ollman/docs/resignation.php][color=green]thi...

Quote:

As far as I'm concerned, the comedian, Lenny Bruce, provided the only good answer to this question when he said, "Dig, I'm Jewish. Count Basie's Jewish. Ray Charles is Jewish. Eddie Cantor is goyish... Marine Corps—heavy goyish... If you live in New York or any other big city, you're Jewish. If you live in Butte, Montana, you're going to be goyish even if you're Jewish... Kool-Aid is goyish. Evaporated milk is goyish even if Jews invented it... Pumpernickel is Jewish and, as you know, white bread is very goyish.... Negroes are all Jews... Irishmen who have rejected their religion are Jewish... Baton twirling is very goyish".

To this I would only add, "Noam Chomsky, Mordechai Vanunu and Edward Said are Jewish. Elie Wiesel is goyish. So, too, all 'Jewish' neo-cons. Socialism and communism are Jewish. Sharon and Zionism are very goyish". And, who knows, if this reading of Judaism were to take hold, I may one day apply for readmission to the Jewish people.