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March 30, 2007

Teacher is victimized

Award-winning educator subject to anti-Semitism.
REBECA KUROPATWA

Winnipeg teacher Chuck Duboff, a Winnipeg teacher, arrived at work in the morning Feb. 28, only to find a disturbing, handwritten letter in his office mailbox.

At first, "I thought it was from a student or friend, so I didnít think anything of it," said Duboff. "I was receiving mail from friends and students for having won a human rights award."

He brought the letter to his classroom and began reading it. "I immediately felt nauseous," he said in a recent interview with the Independent. "It was just sickening. The words on the paper were foul, like 'Jew pigs. Hitler had the right idea.' " The letter was postmarked from Winnipeg.

In all his years growing up and living in Winnipeg, as a Jew, Duboff said he has never experienced such anti-Semitism or racism.

Twelve years ago, Duboff founded the Maples Unity Group, an anti-racism group at Maples Collegiate, where he teaches. The group recently held a successful Rock Against Racism fund-raising concert – and Duboff was honored with a 2006 Manitoba Human Rights Commission Award for his work.

Duboff said the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, currently under construction in Winnipeg and bankrolled by the Asper Foundation, was referenced in the letter. "The writer of the letter connected the museum with Jews," he said.

Last month, the University of Winnipeg hosted a conference on human rights and social justice. Close to 400 participants attended, including Duboff and some of his students. He said this and other initiatives, like the human rights museum, show how much local promise and support there is for understanding and tolerance, despite the hate letter incident.

Duboff said he experienced a whole gamut of emotions after being victimized. "At first, I felt afraid," he said, "then shocked, then disbelief, and then I began thinking that maybe the work I do is getting too dangerous. But soon my feelings turned around, so that this incident only served to reinforce my belief that I should stand up for what I believe in. I am now thinking of bringing all the local high schools together to come up with ways of increasing tolerance."

Support for Duboff has been constant from those who heard about the incident. A student he taught in 1991, who now lives in Bermuda, called him on the phone. She reads the Winnipeg papers every day and read about the incident.

Duboff is a self-described "proud Jew," but he confessed that he has not been actively involved in the Jewish community. "This incident changed that for me. I now feel that I must be doing more within the Jewish community and beyond," he said.

To the person who sent the anti-Semitic letter, Duboff conveyed that he would be willing to sit down and talk to them. "I am proud of who I am and what I do," he said. "But a person who sends anonymous letters is obviously not."

Duboff has met with the hate crimes division of the Winnipeg Police Department. The police are still investigating the matter and have indicated to Duboff that they cannot trace any fingerprints from the hate letter.

Manitoba NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis got up in the House of Commons on March 22 and talked about the incident and about all of the positive work Duboff has done, fighting racism and promoting human rights.

Several letters to the editor have also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, in support of Duboff speaking out.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

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