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August 22, 2003
Film examines violence
Professor offers ways to counter hate on campuses.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
While Canada is seeing a growing number of students taking a stand
against Israel on campuses, fewer Jewish students are willing to
take a stand against anti-Zionism or anti-Semitism, according to
Michael Grand, a professor of psychology at the University of Guelph.
Grand made the comments at Beth Israel Synagogue Aug. 11 as part
of a presentation and discussion of the video Confrontation at
Concordia.
Produced and directed by Canadian journalist Martin Himel, Confrontation
at Concordia documents the events of Sept. 9, 2002, when anti-Israel
tensions and rioting led to the cancellation of a speech by Israeli
Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Opening with images of the fighting that took place between protesters
and the Jewish students trying to get into the presentation room,
the film then introduced student Samer Elatrash, who was responsible
for leading the anti-Israel violence. Featuring interviews with
Concordia's Hillel president Yoni Petel and Concordia rector Frederick
Lowy, the film discussed the growing trend of anti-Israel activities
on North American campuses.
Following the presentation of Confrontation at Concordia,
a group discussion was led by Grand, who is also a member of the
National Campus Jewish Life Committee and a board member of Canadian
Jewish Congress, Ontario Region. Grand told the gathering of more
than 50 people that the anti-Israel sentiment found on campuses
around North America first became an issue after the 1967 war, when
Israel began to look like a conquering, strong and militaristic
state, rather than the underdog. Grand also noted that the demographics
of the campuses in Canada have changed a lot since the 1960s, when
Jewish people where considered to be an ethnic group.
"We've had some very major immigration patterns into the country
and as part of that we've seen a large number of people come into
the country who are Muslim in religion and who come from the third
world," he explained. "As a result, we're seeing a large
number of spokespeople who stand against Israel."
In contrast, he continued, fewer Jewish students are willing to
take a stand against anti-Zionism or anti-Semitism.
"Most of the Jewish students were born after 1973 so very few
students have experienced Israel in full blown war where you went
to bed at night not knowing if there would be a state the next morning,"
he said. "When I was a student [in the '60s] most Jewish students
identified with the left and they got very active in student politics."
Another concern Grand discussed was a scarcity of education about
Israel being provided to students by their local Jewish communities.
"Jewish students know very little about Israel because our
educational system really hasn't taught them much," he said.
"How many Jewish students know of the hundreds of thousands
of Jews from Arab lands who are refugees in Israel?"
Grand finished his presentation by offering a list of suggestions
of how to counter anti-Israel attitudes on campus.
• More community-based funding should go to Jewish campus groups
like Hillel so that they can run programs to better educate the
general student base.
• Create positive encounters with the Muslim/Arab community
on campus before it becomes negative.
• Demand that campuses be safe. "Whenever someone has
stepped outside of the laws of Canada we have to bring charges and
demand that this not be tolerated," he said.
• Look for the most non-confrontational way of responding to
the hate.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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