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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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