NDP condemns denial

Editorial

The New Democratic party of Manitoba deserves thanks for condemning Holocaust denial. At a recent party policy session, the Manitoba NDP passed a resolution condemning the sort of hate-motivated historical revisionism being purveyed by Iran's president, among others.

The resolution stated that the party "reject[s] and condemn[s] without reservation any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, or any activities to this end."

Condemning Holocaust denial may seem like a "motherhood" issue for a Canadian political party, but at this time in human history, any such statement is welcome and valuable.

Among the numerous whereases in the NDP resolution is the statement that "the remembrance of the Holocaust is critical to prevent further acts of genocide...." That education and awareness will triumph over intolerance has always been an assumption of those who educate about the Holocaust, though, at times, we wonder if this is overly optimistic in the contemporary world. The perpetrators of the worst humanitarian atrocities of the past six decades - in the Balkans, Cambodia, Rwanda and elsewhere - were probably aware of the Nazi war against Jews. It would be ideal if awareness of genocide reduced its prevalence, but this has not proven as true as one would hope.

It should be enough to thank the Manitoba NDP and move on, but this development is worth a moment's consideration. The resolution was enthusiastically forwarded by a provincial cabinet minister and seconded by the head of the Manitoba Federation of Labor.

In recent years, the NDP and the trade union movement have suffered strained relations with Canada's Jewish community, as a result of aggressive anti-Israel advocacy by some New Democrats and many labor organizations and members. It has been a painful and difficult time for our community and for the left, with whom we have deeply intertwined histories in this country.

So, notwithstanding the goodwill intended by the recent resolution and, at the risk of looking an ally's gift horse in the mouth, a quick analysis might be in order.

We do not doubt the sincerity of the Holocaust resolution. But why now?

The Holocaust is one thing that transcends the difficult relations many Jewish Canadians have had with the left recently. If we couldn't agree on this, we would really have troubles. The left opposes genocide; this resolution confirms it.

But there remains the niggling little matter that, no matter what empathy the left might show about the Holocaust, there is a residual conflict between this humanitarian position and the lack of empathy demonstrated by trade unionists and New Democrats toward Israel.

It may not be a coincidence that this resolution emerged from Manitoba. The Manitoba wing has been a moderating influence in the NDP. Of the two New Democrat MPs who could be said to be true friends of Israel, both hail from Winnipeg.

But, while this resolution may have the best of intentions, it's difficult not to view it in the context of the party's position vis-à-vis the Middle East.

The Holocaust denial resolution, taken at face value, is a statement of New Democrats' solidarity with the Jewish people and, for this, we should be thankful. But we cannot ignore the fact that many of the most vocal and vociferous attacks on the Jewish state have come in recent years from that party and its union allies.

When such attacks have emerged, the perpetrators have gone to great lengths to dissociate criticism of Israel from any animus toward Jews or disrespect for the historical experience of our people. But it simply doesn't hold water.

The potentiality of a nuclear Iran notwithstanding, a strong Israel remains the greatest barrier to future attempted genocides against the Jews. This statement will elicit hoots among Israel's critics, some of whom reject this connection, but the truth is unavoidable. Two millennia of statelessness resulted in a history of catastrophic persecution. Self-determination has not eliminated this persecution, sadly, but Israel has given Jews a fighting chance in a world that is as threatening as ever.

What the NDP and the union movement have not realized, for the most part, is that opposing genocide is only part of the equation. Supporting Israel's right to exist and defend itself as the homeland of the surviving Jews is the other part of our obligation to remember. No matter how genuine the Manitoba resolution may be, it is hard not see it as hollow until the NDP shows something more than pro forma support for the single most significant bulwark to another holocaust – the security of Israel.

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