The University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union has issued a belated apology to the Hillel Jewish student organization over a distasteful incident that never should have seen the light of day. Earlier this month, Hillel asked the union to endorse its “Kosher Forward” campaign to ensure that kosher food is available on campus. Hillel correctly […]
Germany has taken the high road to democracy since the 12-year Nazi interregnum, yet some Germans have not learned the lessons of the past. Stephan Brandner, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, is one such person, a bigot who rejects tolerance, mutual understanding, pluralism and diversity. Until very recently, this fellow was […]
Don Cherry’s abrupt dismissal as host of Coach’s Corner, a popular six-minute segment on Hockey Night in Canada, was drastic but unavoidable. Sportsnet, the cable television channel which broadcasts this Canada-wide program, fired Cherry — the wildly opinionated 85-year-old former hockey player and coach known for his loud clothes and inappropriate comments — on November 11 […]
FBI agents recently arrested a neo-Nazi terrorist accused of threatening to blow up Temple Emanuel, a synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. Richard Holzer, the 27-year-old suspect, is a skinhead and former member of the Ku Klux Klan. In messages posted on Facebook, he likened […]
Soufi’s, a Syrian restaurant in Toronto, shut down on October 8 after receiving a barrage of hate mail and threatening phone calls. On October 11, the popular restaurant reopened and its nine employees were back at work, serving up Syrian food like Maneesh, a savory flatbread slathered with various toppings; Knaffeh a shredded phylo pastry […]
The first anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on American Jews in U.S. history is approaching. On October 27, a heavily-armed, middle-aged antisemite named Robert Bowers walked into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and, in a frenzy of untrammelled hatred, fatally shot 11 of its congregants. Exactly six months later, John Earnest, 19, […]
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a profusion of heart-felt apologies in the past few days. In the run-up to the October 21 federal election, he has shifted to contrite mode as he campaigns for reelection. A few days ago, Time magazine published a scoop that greatly embarrassed Trudeau, the son of a former […]
At the World Judo Championship in Tokyo last week, a competitor from Iran, Saeid Mollaei, the defending world champion, was coerced by the Iranian government to throw his semi-final match against Belgium’s Matthias Casse so that he would not have to face Israel’s Sagi Muki in the final. Mollaei, who has been accused of intentionally […]
The Republican president of the United States, Donald Trump, is playing a very selfish, self-serving and ultimately dangerous game. He is imperilling the bipartisan nature of U.S. support for Israel for personal political gain and creating an environment in which antisemitism could flourish. In the past few days, Trump has crossed all red lines by […]
Just minutes before killing 22 people, mostly Hispanics, at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, Patrick Crusius, a 21-year-old right-wing extremist, posted a racist and anti-immigrant manifesto online in which he expressed fear of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” and warned that Caucasians in the United States were being replaced by foreigners. Crusius’ murderous […]