An (Alternative) Jewish Response to the Morning After Canada Saw Red

The morning after Election Day I opened my Facebook feed to a comment from a friend and fellow parent that their son was being bullied at their Jewish Day school for their parents not voting Conservative. “They’re telling me Trudeau hates Jews and will send us away.” My nearly 11-year old daughter received similar sentiments from friends saying “Your mom is wrong. She’s going to ruin Israel”.

Political debate is a big topic in our house. Whether it’s who rules the radio in the car, or why occasionally I’m the dictator to get us out to school in the morning.  We also talk about governance from driving by Queen’s Park to discussing Parliament Hill. From who is in charge of what, to equality and respecting others here in Canada and elsewhere. We share thoughts and gut feelings about Israel. From human rights and who we live with in Israel that aren’t Jewish but also citizens, to who Palestinians are and what’s right with what they want and what’s wrong with how they go about it.

I returned to Canadian winters from Jerusalem nearly a decade ago to the initial surprise of a Conservative government that was outspoken in its support of Israel. The Jewish community cozied up to this idea like a warm fuzzy blue sweater they could wear proudly.  Over time for many of us in the community the initial warmth wore off and the sweater started to itch, for some it never fit.

But the leadership of the community wrapped itself up in blue. It abandoned almost all pretenses of multi-partisan relationships in the thrill of having a close ear at the power centre. The Conservatives tested the waters of wedge issues and divisive politics in our backyard and started a rift in the community that is now being played out not only at political debates, but on our children’s playgrounds.

The Harper government saddled up and opened its blue sweater for the Jewish community to cuddle into without question. For nearly a decade this government took its cues from the right-wing leadership in Israel to stand still, demand peace and stability while doing nothing to change the status quo on the ground for Israeli citizens both Jewish and Arab. It did little to engage Palestinian leadership or Palestinian society to consider another way or that there would be support from Canada if they did. Arguably the Canadian government gave a nod to the Netanyahu government’s attempt to create second-class citizens through the Nation State Law that triggered an election and followed suit here with such bills as C-24 and C-51. It took a page from Netanyahu’s playbook of the fear of Israeli Arab support for the Left on election day in early 2015 and translated it into wedge politics and fear mongering over the niqab, creating a maelstrom of debate over an article of religious clothing worn by some 300 Canadian women out of a population of 35 million.

Our leadership chose to get comfortable with a government driven by secrecy and division, managing power bases in different corners rather than seeing itself in service of its citizens. We were one of many communities pegged as being a single-issue constituency from a strategy perspective. The Jewish community chose optics of Israel support with grand speeches and deflection of issues on international stages whose sum was mostly diplomatic rhetoric and sabre rattling. Canada’s foreign policy legacy as a peace builder for rapprochement and trust building was kicked to the curb for cheerleading events in the Knesset. Canada is not Israel’s only ally. It does not provide it with weapons or aid packages, it does not go to bat at the table with Israel’s foes to attempt to create a better neighbourhood for the only democracy in the Middle East to live in. In great part because this government chose not to. It chose to disengage on the world stage, and so did we in making our presence heard in all Canadian political forums.

For many in the Jewish community the Conservative sweater became unwearable in the face of discomfort with Netanyahu’s policies. And yet the Jewish community leadership here sat back did little to hear or promote multi-partisan support even when it was spoken loud and clear by the NDP or Liberal Parties. It didn’t encourage us to listen when Trudeau resolutely stated #EnoughisEnough regarding BDS on Canadian campuses or that support for Israel is a moral imperative not a partisan one. When Mulcair spoke openly against BDS and made clear the party position on Palestine, the Jewish community leadership gave it a skeptical nod and no comment.

Leadership and a passion for values starts at home. As a member of the Jewish community here in Canada and as an Israeli citizen teaching my kids Jewish and democratic values it starts with what I can offer them as examples of leadership from my community and our government representatives.

I have spent the better part of three months working on the campaign of a Liberal candidate in a key Jewish riding. During that time there was little engagement or debate with others in my community on the values of the Liberal platform or what the constituents of the riding Jewish and non-Jewish needed from their representative. Instead on many occasions myself and other hard working volunteers were called Anti-Semites, my candidate was declared a traitor and the leader of the party a terrorist who consorts with Iran.

It would be easy to say that the Conservative party under Stephen Harper used his principled brand of Zionism to support Israel as much as it was about domestic advantage in a small but wealthy key constituency. It’s simple to say that Harper “hijacked” Jewish Zionist identity in Canada. However it goes much deeper into the roots of leadership of our community. We got lazy under the cozy sweater we were offered and stopped making Israel a priority at every table. Instead we curled up on the couch, drunk on support that became intertwined with whiffs of overt vitriol amongst community members and at times laden with comments that bordered on intolerance at best and racism at its worst. Many a day I felt almost bullied into silence for having the values that I hold dear both living in Canada and Israel.

We can and must do better. As a Jewish community we have benefitted and thrived in an open, multicultural and democratic society. As a community we have a responsibility to put Israel’s interests at the forefront of our political involvement with the government of the day like any interest group in Canada. But just as we need to station our interests firmly in the political playground that is Canadian politics we need to do it with the understanding that the more groups we engage with the stronger our voice can be heard. We have to talk but we also have to listen. We are a community embedded in strong values of equality, diversity, empathy, compassion and respectable debate. We are a people whose values include rising to the call to action and pursuing ways of peace. These are Canadian values too.

The fuzzy blue sweater didn’t fit me or many others in our community.  It’s up to us not to bemoan the change of government but rise to the opportunity to be “rodfei shalom”  רודפי שלום (pursuers of peace) for the land that holds our hearts in the East from here in the true North. It’s up to us set an example of integrity for our community and for our children of what leadership and advocacy is and what we can do when empowered for the greater good.

“Promoting Fear and the Cost of Doing Nothing” Will it put Netanyahu and Harper in the same camp come Election Day?

Like March itself Benjamin Netanyahu blew into Washington last week with everyone roaring about the fear of fallout. The outrage and the impact was just that – fear. He and the speech he gave went out like a lamb, with a nonplussed President, and US-Israel relations while somewhat bruised at the moment – still intact. For now. 

Netanyahu’s platform operates on two parts both at home and abroad – fear mongering scenarios and maintaining an unmoving status quo on security and the economy rather than initiating change. But there may just be a cost to that.

Many are still scratching their heads as to the point of that visit. It was clear Netanyahu diverges from the US approach to negotiations with Iran. However it’s also pretty clear that the security service in Israel disagrees with Netanyahu. Upon his return he was welcomed to tens of thousands protesting in Tel Aviv last Saturday evening.  Former Mossad head Meir Dagan and others in Israel’s security establishment demanded a return to normalcy and responsible leadership. Each speaker criticized Netanyahu’s tenure of non-action on domestic issues and intractability on pressing security concerns. The “Commanders for Israel’s Security” called for a refocusing on the country’s domestic priorities from the failing economy for the middle class earners, affordable housing shortages and stabilizing relations with the Palestinians.

What was clear from the rally and the voiced frustrations is that the message Netanyahu is bringing, be it in Washington or at home in Israel is one that isn’t necessarily working. It’s not resonating with the Israeli population and increasingly not with Jewish communities in the Diaspora as well.

But why? It worked before... Because eventually even with a clear position you have to initiate and engage to create change and not stand on the sidelines. Like children on a playground you can’t influence, much less control a situation from outside of the sandbox – you have to get in, move around and yes sometimes get dirty.  In other words you need to steer your boat out of the harbour sometimes.

For Israeli’s taking calculated risks is hardwired into our DNA. There are always threats, however Israelis move forward anyway – whether its to return to a synagogue after a terrorist shooting or dusting yourself off to go about business after each air raid siren.  Because the right to live equally and peacefully is exercised daily in spite of risk. To negotiate and have a backup plan is how the Israeli modus operandi has always survived and even thrived. Its part of the Israeli makeup – to be bold, take a chance whether you’re a high-tech start up, an Israeli Arab challenging the national question of equality, or a young politician trying to stop a bill from being passed that will drain the nation’s resources in favour of settlements in the West Bank. Because its worth the risk to get a better deal.

Strangely, Netanyahu has never operated that way. In fact he’d rather hold all the cards and step out of the ring altogether. The hardliner coalition he enjoyed in his previous term by creating the largest government in history meant that he had no opposition, no critics and no alternative. This also resulted in no peace initiative, no drive to improve the economy and no challenge to the growing influence of the religious right. His current term was cut short for exactly that reason – neither HaTnua under Tzipi Livni or Yesh Atid under Yair Lapid could tolerate such a push of power when it came to undermining the core values of equality of citizenship in a democracy – even if that democracy is the State of Israel.

And its that intolerance to such tactics of maintaining power, of fear mongering and inaction when change is so desperately needed that became the beginning of Netanyahu’s power base unraveling. His hold in next week’s elections is strongly being challenged for all of these reasons. As some have said a “six year itch” with Netanyahu may certainly be on the table with Israeli voters.

Over on this side of the world, Benjamin Netanyahu’s well-known affinity with Stephen Harper (one could even go so far to call it a “bromance”) is rooted in part because they hold the same ideals when it comes to power and how to hold on to it. I dare to say power and not leadership here because for each their vision is to be able to stay governing the public through messages that the ship in the harbour that is safe and secure for now is lost without them. 

However that’s not what a boat’s meant to do.

Be it the environment or the economy in Canada – keeping the boat docked means that it’s getting slammed into the pier and starting to crack. Our environmental policies are falling so far behind in the name of oil industry that its unlikely we will catch up unless we make drastic changes soon. Canadians hold the beauty and bounty of this country in high regard and so should our leadership.

Looking to the economy – staying the course hasn’t helped much. Falling oil prices have triggered growth rate cuts already in the first quarter of this year. Balancing the budget will not be enough to convince voters of who is holding the purse in 2015. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argues that no one really understands debt and that we need more not less debt on the public books to get the economy moving or else it will stagnate i.e. nothing will change if we keep shifting the budget lines on what we owe ourselves and cutting back on what makes an economy and a society healthy. So is staying the course and fear of debt really what we need?  Can’t we trust ourselves to spend a little more to gain a lot? Does balancing the deficit now really matter that much in the bigger picture?

Then there is Bill C-51. Responding to the changing and threatening landscape of terrorism by increasing the surveillance rights of security institutions without question. At the same time its risking the privacy rights of individuals to be questioned under new legislation. The bill is testing not only the boundaries of freedom and civil liberties, but ratcheting up the fear mongering tactics at home. The threat – that has come under the banner of ISIS and Islamic fundamentalism is unleashing a new cultural vitriol on the political landscape.

Rising intolerance and ignorance is beginning to stain the rich fabric that makes Canada the modern multicultural society that it is.  Justin Trudeau’s speech this week highlights the fears that are being stirred and unexamined as a result of these new legislative directions. Most importantly he emphasized the need for liberties to be protected for all Canadians. He explored the fact that while we are striving for a truly diverse and free society here in Canada, we have had an evolution of that value develop over time into hard won policies and practices that we can be proud of, with an honest look at the past.  A national conversation on safety should not boil down to the wearing of the niqab. That being said, while the need to examine the efficacy of our security in Canada certainly must be done - is it through new legislation or refinancing the already existing backlog in our security services?

In short we are less safe when we prevent Canadian citizens from wearing their faith publicly than when we include it as part of an evolving Canadian society built on liberty and inclusion of the other. We are less safe when we cut back on the resources we need and increase legislation that limits our freedoms. Stephen Harper should call his friend Bibi for a check-in on cultural exclusionist practices – he should know. The Israeli government fell in a large part due to the attempt to pass a Jewish Nation State law that would in fact limit the rights of its Arab citizens. The result – the newly formed Arab party ticket may just form the official opposition in next week’s elections for the first time in the country's history.

We risk everything when we do nothing to initiate change for the better.

So if the cost of fear politics and stagnancy are pretty clear I must ask of these politicians - What is the advantage of steering a ship that doesn’t go anywhere? Next week’s elections in Israel will give us an indication of what happens to an electorate when you place power hand in hand with fear. Leadership means helming a ship that sails through change. Propping up fear eventually leaves you alone at the landing.

A ship is always safe at shore – but that’s not what it’s built for.

-Albert Einstein

Post Script: At the time of this posting Israeli polls showed 24 seats for the joint ticket of Livni-Herzog for Hamachaneh HaTziyoni, 21 for Netanyahu and the Likud and 13 seats for the Arab joint ticket making it the third largest party.