PRIME MINISTER’S LONG-AWAITED STATEMENT CONDEMNING ANTISEMITISM DESERVED MORE THAN PASSING REFERENCE

Jewish leaders disappointed at government’s limited response

Montreal, May 2, 2002

For Immediate Release

Montreal, May 2, 2002 — Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s long awaited condemnation of antisemitism was received with mixed feelings by the leadership of B’nai Brith Canada and its League for Human Rights, which had sent urgent requests to the Prime Minister’s office requesting that the government take a strong stand on this issue.

Rochelle Wilner, National President, stated: “While we appreciate the Prime Minister’s mention of this troubling phenomenon, we are disappointed that our repeated requests for both an official and a personal condemnation of antisemitism have been met in such a limited fashion. As part of our ongoing work in monitoring and responding to antisemitism in this country, we deal on a daily basis with the victims and are in a position to assess the widespread fallout in terms of greatly increased anxiety in the Jewish community. If there is a true commitment to protect minorities in this country, the Jewish community deserves more.”

Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President, commented: “We also question whether a fundraiser for the Liberal Party was the appropriate venue for such a potentially important statement. In the past, the Prime Minister has shown that he recognizes the religious sensibilities and specific vulnerabilities of other faith communities by bringing his message of moral support right to their houses of worship. We do not see why the rising incidence of antisemitism should be addressed with an apparent lesser degree of sensitivity and commitment.”

B’nai Brith’s League for Human Rights publishes an annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in Canada and has recently noted greatly increased usage of its 1-800 Anti-Hate Hotline to report physical and verbal abuse, vandalism against synagogues, schools, cemeteries and community buildings, as well as threats and harassment via telephone, the mail and the Internet. 54 incidents were reported to the organization in the first three weeks of April alone.

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To access the 2001 Audit go to:
http://www.bnaibrith.ca/publications/audit2001/audit2001-00.html.

For further comment contact:
Rochelle Wilner, President of B’nai Brith Canada, at (416) 633-6224
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice-President of B’nai Brith Canada, at (416) 802-1057
Saulie Zajdel, Quebec Regional Director of B’nai Brith, at (514) 733-5377

B’nai Brith has been active in Canada since 1875 as the community’s foremost advocacy and volunteer organization.