Toronto – Ontario’s largest university workers’ union is proposing a ban on Israeli academics teaching in the province’s universities, in a move that echoes previous attempts to boycott goods and services from the Jewish state.
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The resolution, proposed by CUPE’s Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee, is in protest against a Dec. 29 bombing that damaged the Islamic University in Gaza.
“In response to an appeal from the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, we are ready to say Israeli academics should not be on our campuses unless they explicitly condemn the university bombing and the assault on Gaza in general,” said Sid Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario.
The resolution is still being drafted but the union said it will seek to prohibit Israeli academics from speaking, teaching or researching at Ontario universities. The CUPE committee will distribute the resolution to its members at the end of the month.
It will be put to a vote at the committee’s annual conference in February.
Janice Folk-Dawson, chairwoman of the university workers committte, said: “Clearly international pressure on Israel must increase to stop the massacre that is going on daily. We are proud to add CUPE voices to others from around the world saying enough is enough.”
Ms. Folk-Dawson said the committee felt it was crucial to do something.
“This is coming from the rank-and-file members, not just the leadership,” she said.
Len Rudner, regional director of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) in Ontario, called the resolution “unbalanced, unfair and unhelpful.”
“Once again Sid Ryan is jumping before thinking,” Mr. Rudner said. “I think it’s ironic individuals who speak about freedom of speech jump to the opportunity to take that freedom away from other individuals.”
While Ms. Folk-Dawson said the resolution will protect the quality of education by preventing Israeli academics from professing biased views, an Israeli professor at the University of Toronto opposed such a disruption to academia.
“I oppose any kind of ban to academic activity, whatever its colour or matter,” said Emanuel Adler, chairman of Israeli Studies at the university.
“Students should receive the message that the situation is very tragic for both Israelis and Palestinians, but the conflict and the violence should not be brought inside the university.”
He added that “if there is a place that some solution should come out of other than government it should be a place where creativity can lead to a peaceful resolution of conflict.”
That sentiment was echoed by Daniel Silverman, program associate of Hillel at U of T, a Jewish student organization: “The university is a place for discussing all sorts of issues but it must be productive. [This resolution] doesn’t serve any purpose, it doesn’t promote dialogue; it creates divisions.”
However, Mr. Ryan said the resolution was a reasonable response to Israel’s attack on the Islamic University, which he likened to the torching of books by Nazis during the Second World War.
Israel has said the Islamic University is a legitimate target because it is closely tied to Hamas.
Mr. Ryan described the proposed resolution as the “logical next step” of a policy adopted by CUPE Ontario at a May, 2006, conference.
Resolution 50 supports “boycotts, divestment and sanctions aimed at bringing about the Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and a just peace in the region.”
The passing of resolution 50 saw the union face significant public scrutiny and Ms. Folk-Dawson said this time they are prepared for a backlash, adding, “We believe we are doing the right thing.”
Approximately 100 committee members will vote on the resolution at the conference on Feb. 19 in Windsor. If the resolution receives majority support, it will be on the agenda at CUPE Ontario’s conference in May, when more than 1,000 would be expected to vote. Should it pass that point, the union would then ask the province’s schools to respect the prohibition.
The proposal comes after an international academic dispute broke out in 2007 following the British University and College Union’s decision to sever professional ties with eight Israeli universities.
Sheldon Levy, president of Ryerson University in Toronto, was among administrators around the world who condemned that decision. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
Same ole’ Canada
And this is in all response to the university ban on all palestinian professors for the past four years?
Can u imagine DC37 doing something like this?
HAHAHAHA, How stupid! Professors who indoctrinate are boycotting Israeli professors who may tell the other side of the story. I love academia. Is there a Doctorate in Stupidity?
This purely antisemitic boycott will will hopefully remind these bastards what happened with hospitals and social clubs 20,30,40,50 years ago. We will successfully move forward without them, and they will eventually come begging on their needs for what we have to offer. They will learn what we really are all about; loving, caring, honest people. Israel is the only army (to the best of my knowledge) that the word ‘defense’ is part of their name.
The Gaza conflict has compelled the world to scream with rage about Israel’s so called “human rights violations.” What do they mean?
Do they mean human rights violations like holding back medical supplies from its own people? Spending the money meant for roads and schools on rockets and guns? Preventing medical help from reaching your own citizens so that leftist media can take photographs of the civilians you have hidden your weapons caches among who have gotten hurt more from your own weapons than from Israel’s? Is that the kind of human rights violations you are talking about?
Because the world knows, even if they won’t admit it to themselves, that Israel is only defending its own nation against a group of self-absorbed terrorists who don’t care who they are hurting or killing as long as they get good press. You want to put a real human rights violator out of business for good, go join the fight AGAINST Hamas.
Note to Palestinians, other Arabs and their lefty worshipers. If you want peace Israel will teach you how to make the desert bloom. If you want to fight prepare to die. But don’t hide behind you children. Your rich Arab brothers hate you. They use you to fight their proxy war against Israel.
Demand your money back from Mrs. Arafat and use it to build schools and hospitals and parks. Israel has proven that the desert can bloom. Why don’t you try producing something other than misery. Gaza, by the way, is as old an entity as Hong Kong. It is about the same size, and is also on a major trading body of water. Hmmm. Compare and contrast, students!
How can you explain all the Muslim attacks all over the world: U.S.A., France, Great Britain, India, Lebanon, Israel, Philipines, Somolia, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, the Balkans, Russia, Denmark, Australia, Hangu, China, Belgium, Scotland, Kashmir, Malaysia, etc. etc. etc.
Please explain it to me.
I rest my case!
Where were they when sucide bombers blew themselves up at Hebrew University?
I’m not surprised. Let’s not forget that Canada was one of the only nations that refused to sign the UN referendum condemning genocide after World War II.
This sounds like a perfect case to be handled by Ontario’s “Human Rights” court system. They have a near 100% conviction rate.
What can the public do to protest this my blood is I have to do something now!!!!
This story should be on blogs we can’t afford to be silent, enough is enough “Never Again.”
Every Jew should protest about this.
Whats realy scary is that the Ontario goverment is siding with them.
Canada has a major Arab problem too. They are lucky the US will bail their liberal buts out if they get in trouble.