Letters to the Editor, August 5, 2022

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FIGHT AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

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Jewish Canadians are 10 times more likely than members of any other religious community to be the target of a hate crime. This startling figure comes from a Statistics Canada report on police-reported hate crimes released this month. As we have seen in the past, many Canadians will skim through this report and dismiss it. We think that other groups are also suffering. We reassure ourselves that, if only an interminable conflict in the Middle East were resolved, harmony would return to us. Even more troubling, perhaps we have our own biases about the Jewish people as a collective and believe, consciously or not, that they are not a group we should be concerned about. It is often said that anti-Semitism is the symptom of a more insidious social disorder. It may be true. But conversely, this is one more reason to dismiss it as a problem in itself. Canada is thankfully much friendlier and safer than many or most other places on earth. But it is the product of concerted action against discrimination and the celebration of difference. The latest in a litany of evidence on anti-Jewish attitudes and behavior in Canada calls us to action. A new grassroots movement stands with our Jewish neighbors against discrimination. In our unions, on our campuses, in our social circles and places of worship, at our tables, and wherever possible to advance Canadian values ​​of acceptance, we raise our voices against anti-Semitism. We invite you to learn more and, if you wish, join us at upstanderscanada.com.

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patrick johnson
Director, Upstanders Canada

(It’s an indictment of Canadian society that an organization like this is still needed, but it’s important to keep this issue in mind for public policy makers. What concerns us more is the growing number of incidences we hear on campus universities)

KEEP IT

Re « Save the fests for last » (Denette Wilford, July 31): Why do so many insist on rushing summer prematurely? Summer isn’t over until the third week of September, so technically we’re not even halfway there. Let’s slow down and enjoy it and stop stressing people out by falsely insisting it’s over when the kids go back to school.

L.McDonald
Kitchener

(I can’t argue with that)

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

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We can clearly see the difference between the two major Canadian parties these days. Liberals are great at rallying around their leader no matter what (publicly anyway) and winning elections. Conservatives are good at publicly stabbing their leaders in the back, putting off voters by being seen as untrustworthy hackers because of it, and then losing elections to start the process all over again. This is already happening during the Tory leadership race, as any new leader will have a contingent of MPs who will not support him. With « Brutus friends » like that, who needs enemies? Is it any wonder that Conservative governments have had fewer “kick kicks” in Canadian history?

Tony Borbely
Calgary

(That’s a fairly accurate summary of the current state of affairs)