17, 2023, at our meeting of the committee of the whole, I therefore put forward a motion for the OCDSB to hire a Jewish Equity Coach. Antisemitism was not adequate addressed by any of the OCDSB’s resources. Antisemitic incidents in Ottawa schools were overlooked year after year, despite conversations with trustees and senior staff and reassurances to families and the Jewish community that action would be taken. No other form of racism or discrimination would be so easily shrugged off. Antisemitism is misunderstood, overlooked, dismissed. Today, in 2023, Holocaust denial is a common theme, as is blood libel, the myth of Jews controlling media and banks, the conflation of Judaism with Israeli politics, and general scapegoating of Jewish people throughout history. Those who did not actively stand up against Jew hatred condoned it through their silence. Thinking about the conditions that preceded the Holocaust, there was no internet, no social media, no anonymity, but there was radio, there were newspapers, there was widespread disparaging public discourse about Jews.
It was standing room only as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board met in November to decide if masks should be mandated in schools again. If you were to speak with Jewish students and families, however, you’ll learn that antisemitism (in the form of overt Jew hatred, Nazi symbolism, threats, name-calling and coins tossed at the feet of Jewish students) is commonplace. Antisemitism encountered by students and staff in Ottawa schools has been reported in the news recently. During and after our board meeting, I was bombarded by horrific antisemitic slander and death threats.Īntisemitism has sharply increased in the last few years in Ottawa, across Canada, and around the world. What does this have to do with antisemitism? Within the onslaught of mail about the proposed mask mandate, there were also targeted attacks on me as a Jewish woman. When I put forward the motion to temporarily reinstate masks in our classrooms to ensure the health and safety of students and staff in response to the triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and RSV, the OCDSB boardroom filled with disruptive protesters. But the problem doesn’t disappear in the spam folder.įast-forward to November, 2022. They wanted to know whether I’d take a stance against “critical race theory,” whether I’d “protect their children” from 2SLGBTQIA+ students and staff, whether I’d ban books, whether I’d take “social justice” off the curriculum. Article contentĪs a candidate, I was also approached by individuals and organizations asking me whether I would be as racist and bigoted as they are. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.National Capital Region's Top Employers.
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