Monte Kwinter from David Grossman on Vimeo
David talks to Monte Kwinter, MPP York Centre & Chair of the Ontario Investment and Trade Advisory Council about the 2010 trade mission with Ontario Premier Dalton Mcguinty to Israel. Also on the show, Howard Dover, Comedian and Medical Marijuana Activist.
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Posted at 01:46 PM in Activitism, Business, Canada, Culture, Israel, Israeli products, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)
Answer to the only honest question from a list of nasty comments about my video titled "NO ISRAELI PRODUCT BOYCOTT AT ENZO'S NO FRILLS"
Last Saturday there was a rumour going around in Toronto, circulating quickly on the internet, that there was a sign posted at Enzo's No Frills in Richmond Hill saying that for political reasons store was boycotting Israeli made products. It turned out that if such a sign ever existed (and even that is questionable), that the store was not behind it.
In a video I shot stating I felt the store had no responsibility for the alleged sign (in case you want to watch the video I've posted it under this article), I stated that if such a sign was put up, it was an act of anti-Semitism.
I received many comments on the video, most which I deleted because they were just nasty. However, among the comments there was one that appeared to be an honest question so I'm posting it here with my answer below...
@nataher123 commented: I don't understand David. You said a customer may have put it up to spread anti-semitic messages. Maybe he is just against Israel's policies? How does that make him a jew hater? A lot of orthodox Jews boycott Israel...does that make them anti-Semitic?
My answer: @nataher123 - Firstly, very few orthodox Jews boycott Israel - the few that do are way out on the fringe, so that's just not true. With respect to the other part of your question, it would be innapropriate for any customer to put a sign up on someone elses store but what I think you are really asking is "why do I say that someone who wants to boycott Israel is anti-Semitic, maybe they just don't agree with Israel's policies? Why is it anti-Semitic to disagree with Israel's policies?
If you want to criticize Israel that's OK, my point is that Israel is continually singled out and beat up in the media, in the UN, in Universities, at Gay Pride, at the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), called "Apartheid"; all while it's standards of justice and upholding of human rights are in my view are among the highest anywhere. When you look at the magnitude of viloations taking place in so many other places in the world-Iran, Congo, Darfur, China, Abu Graib etc. etc. (the violations are mind boggling - visit http://www.hrw.org/en/news for a taste) and you see Israel singled out continually, repeatedly (did you know that Muslim's from Darfur have found refuge in Israel, women have equal rights in Israel (remember Golda Meir - the world's third ever female Prime Minister), there are Arab members in Israel's Gov't, homosexuality is not a crime, all citizens are allowed to vote, have access to medical care etc. etc? I conclude that this kind of repeated villification of Israel can only be anti-Semitism.
Where does this "new anti-Semitism", cloaked as harsh criticism about Israel come from?
The goal of the radical factions in the middle east - Iran, GAZA (HAMAS - a terrorist gov't), Hezbollah and even the PA who celebrate martyrdom, Syria and other places in the middle east, is to eliminate Israel and the Jews. It is a widely held view in the middle east. Watch this recent video from Syria where they acuse Jews of harvesting organs in Haiti - http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2370.htm - it's bizzare and backwards, unbelievable, but it's really happening, still today! Unfortunately, anti-Semitism did not die with the Nazi's.
Israel's actions in the middle east, let's take GAZA; for example, while they may seem brutish to an outsider, are self defense. Israel did not ask for a war in GAZA. It withdrew from GAZA in 2005 to give the Palestinians autonomy (people forget the concessions Israel has made, hoping it might get some peace in return) and it got rockets from a government, later voted in, that openly states it's goal is to destroy Israel. HAMAS used innocent civilians as human shields when Israel finally responded.
Those in the west who sympathize with these factions, and this kind of sympathy is become increasingly pervasive in Canada (consider the United Church of Canada attempted boycott of Israel, the recent Israel Apartheid week which started on Canadian campuses, last summer's attempt to boycott Israeli wine, a recent attempt to boycott Mountain Equipment Co-op for selling Israeli products, an attempted boycott of the Toronto Film Festival because of it's Tel Aviv spotlight, Queers against Israel Apartheid in Gay Pride, Sid Ryan of CUPE using his union to champion Israeli boycotts ) -- are supporting an idea borne out of anti-Semitism. So if you wonder why some Jews are quick to react and imagine the worst, maybe now you will understand why.
The world can be savage, barbaric. Six million Jews were exterminated by the Nazi's not that long ago. This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is Sunday, April 11. Genocide continues to take place in places like Darfur. Iran is building nuclear weapons and openly states it wants to wipe Israel off the map. Meanwhile, yesterday President Obama announced that he is implementing a new strategy to "narrow the conditions the United States would use nuclear weapons, even in self defense". So tell me, if we don't look after ourselves, who will?
Posted at 06:43 PM in Activitism, Anti-Semitism, Canada, Human Rights, Israel, Israeli products | Permalink | Comments (9)
Rabbi Aaron Levy, Makom & Kiever Synagogue & Rabbi Erin Polonsky, Temple Sinai on Purim. Drum jam with Rabbi Aaron Levy. Avi Ashman, IsraGourmet Wine & Food www.meetup.com/Israeli-Wine-Lovers and www.isram.us/groups/isragourmet
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