Campus Jews convene

PAT JOHNSON

Jewish Canadians can expect the new federal government to be supportive of a number of central goals, according to a national campus activist who participated in a significant conference here last weekend.

Arieh Rosenblum, director of Israel affairs for National Jewish Campus Life (NJCL), said he expects the new government to be supportive of Israel's right to live in peace, as well as a range of other issues from parochial school funding to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Accountability Act.

The Accountability Act, which is the cornerstone of the Conservatives' response to government and political corruption, will change the way Jewish agencies and all lobbyists deal with federal officials, said Rosenblum.

Rosenblum, who before taking up his position with NJCL was B'nai Brith Canada's campus co-ordinator, said Harper has been unequivocal that the elected Hamas government of the Palestinian Authority will not be dealt with by the Canadian government until it renounces violence and recognizes the right of Israel to exist.

"That is a very unambiguous statement and it was the kind of statement the Canadian Jewish community was looking for," he said.

Rosenblum was speaking at the second annual Western Conference of the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students last week. The conference brought about 110 students from the four western provinces – as well as some national officials from Ontario – to discuss areas of common interest, political affairs, organizational matters and just to meet with other campus activists.

Rosenblum's view is that anti-Zionist activism on Canadian campuses has settled down somewhat from a couple of years ago, in part because Zionist students are now setting the agenda, rather than responding to it.

"On the whole, we have a situation on most campuses where we have a proactive agenda presenting a positive image of Israel that is being responded to positively by most people on most campuses," he said. "We have calm on most campuses, either friendly or neutral student governments on most campuses and we are building relationships with other student groups."

Jessica Apter who, with Kara Mintzberg, was chair of the conference, said the purpose of the weekend event was to promote networking and interaction between campus groups.

Among the delegates from campuses without large Jewish populations were five delegates from the University of Lethbridge, five from the University of Saskatchewan and one from the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus.

Gary Diamond, the national president of the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students, came from Ontario and was delighted by the reception he received and the work of the delegates.

"I find it a very inclusive community. People really go out of their way to welcome you," Diamond said of the host community. "Together, we're coming up with great ideas and great solutions to the problems we have."

Jamie Richardson, a University of Saskatchewan student, didn't know many of the participants when she arrived, but she views the conference as an opportunity to get more involved in campus activism nationally.

Joanne Schwartz, a University of Manitoba social work student, agreed.

"Winnipeg has a really good, involved Jewish community and I think this is a good way to branch out and meet people from all over Western Canada and try to get an understanding about issues on other campuses," said Schwartz. "It's really good for networking. If you want to find a program, you know the executive, you can e-mail and ask, 'Who's done something like this? What are ideas? What problems did you encounter? How did you get funding?' It's just a good way to meet other people who are going through the same things you are."

Josh Greenberg, a University of Lethbridge student, said these conferences can make students like him feel less isolated.

"Before these conferences were around, it was kind of like every campus was on its own," said the Calgary native. "These conferences have been bringing people together and really creating a sense of unity on a national level and, in this case, in the western regional level."

Lethbridge, which has a synagogue, once had a Jewish community of about 100 families. This has now dwindled to about 10 families, said Greenberg. The students use the local synagogue, Beth Israel, and have the support of the local B'nai Brith chapter.

Elysha Ames, a Vancouver student, said Western Canadian Jewish students have challenges not faced in the east. The established Jewish communities of Eastern Canada have strong campus activism and many nearby universities, she said.

"[In] Western Canada ... we have issues that are specific to this side of Canada that students from Ontario and Quebec just can't relate to," said Ames.

Pat Johnson is editor of MVOX Multicultural Digest, www.mvox.ca.

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