Support Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in stopping another anti-Semitic hate rally at Queen’s Park

Last year, one of the low points in civic engagement in Ontario was an anti-Semitic hate rally at Queen’s Park held by local Shia Muslim organizations to commemorate what they refer to as “al Quds Day.” This is an event in the Shia calendar initiated by the brutal Iranian despot Ayatollah Khomeini to try to garner support for the destruction of the Jewish state and the so-called liberation of the Holy Land of Israel from the Jews, to be replaced by an Islamic state.

Politicians of al stripes were shocked and embarrassed that an event was held at the seat of Ontario’s government that was anti-Semitic and featured hate mongers like Zafar Bangash, a notorious supporter of the vicious Iranian dictatorship which persecutes and murders dissidents and minorities.  Last year, Bangash called for a Jihad against Jerusalem whereby Islamic law would be imposed upon Israel.

In a startling new development, another ‘al Quds Day’ rally at Queen’s Park on August 18 was just announced by a group calling itself the al Quds Committee. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal believes that while free speech is an essential component of a democratic society, the Provincial government should not sanction organisations calling for war, death and hate towards Jews by sanctioning their use of public property for such a purpose.

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Ontario Legislature must approve all demonstrations held at Queens Park. As of 9 am  today (July 31), the Sergeant-of Arms office confirms that an application for the al Quds Day demonstration has been submitted but not yet approved.

Join Friends of Simon Wiesenthal in contacting Premier Dalton McGuinty, Provincial Opposition Leader Tim Hudak, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and your local MPP to oppose an insult to Canada’s free, tolerant society by a gang of devotees of Iran, the world’s principal supporter of state terrorism.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal will provide updates on the efforts to combat hate and intolerance by Iran’s Canadian proxies.

United Church of Canada leadership no longer hides its anti-Israel bias

The United Church of Canada has come under increasing criticism and scrutiny since the release of the report of its Working Group on Israel/Palestine Policy. 

The report has been condemned as one sided in its bias against Israel and much of it relies on a document called A Moment of Truth: Kairos Palestine.  The Kairos Palestine document, as it is known, has itself received condemnation for being anti-Semitic.  

In denial of the face of historical fact and Biblical references, it renounces a special connection between the Jewish people and Israel. It refers to the occupation of disputed Palestinian territories as “a sin against God and humanity” and makes a disgraceful effort to lend the theological weight of Christianity to support Palestinian renunciation of the peace process. The document denigrates the right of Israeli Jews to self-defense, while exclusively blaming Israel for violence with a facile assessment that, “if there were no occupation, there would be no resistance, no fear and no insecurity. This is our understanding of the situation. Therefore, we call on the  Israelis to end the occupation. Then they will see a new world in which there is no fear, no threat but rather security, justice and peace.”

This understanding ignores the facts that Arab states had tried, unsucessfuly, to eliminate Israel from the time of the birth of its statehood in 1948, well before the “occupation.” It ignores that Palestinians had been killed in far greater numbers under Jordanian rule than that of Israel. 

Most significantly, it ignores the reality that the Palestinian leadership continues to glorify murderers and terrorists, incites hatred against Jews, and has proclaimed that the peace process is really a ruse for the ultimate destruction of Israel.

The Unites Church of Canada’s embrace of such a document is like its embrace of the pro-Iranian terror apologist George Galloway, who continues to advocate Jihad against Israel . Both show the United Church leadership, when it comes to the issue of Israel, demonstrates neither Christian principles of love nor a fair-minded interest in a peaceful settlement to the Palestinian/Israeli dispute. Instead, they behave as dilettantes who want to be seen as having the particular idea of “progressive” social justice as advocated by a radical left that is heavily partisan against Israel and the United States.

As if to confirm this, the United Church included some very telling language in its announcement that Jim Cairney, from its Hamilton Conference, has been appointed to serve as their ecumenical accompanier in the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.  Their press release states that “Jim brings a high commitment to a peaceful, just, and non-violent resolution of the Occupation of Palestine.”

Very clearly, the goals of the United Church are not peace, or justice or security for Israelis, but making sure that no Jew is “occupying” what it sees as Palestinian land.

Several Canadian Senators who are members of the United Church have renounced its Working Group’s report as have many grass roots members and clergy.

Hopefully, the rank-and-file of the United Church of Canada will be able to show its wayward leaders some common sense in rejecting its Working Group’s advocacy of a boycott of Israeli settlement goods when it is voted upon at the denomination's 41st General Council, which meets in Ottawa, August 11–18, 2012.

How dare the world shun Israel on terrorism

Forty years after Munich, we are wrong to block the country most affected by atrocities 

By Jose Maria Aznar 

When we are about to mark the 40th anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the Olympic Village in Munich, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists, it is a real paradox to see Israel excluded from the first meeting of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum. 

This initiative, led by the United States and attended by 29 countries and the European Union, took place last month in an effort to improve the co-ordination of counter-terrorism policies at global level. Why wasn't Israel invited? The meeting was held in Istanbul and no one wanted to "provoke" the host, the Islamist Government of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Worse still, in July, the forum organised its first victims-of-terrorism meeting. Not only was Israel excluded, but Israeli victims had no place in its official speeches. When we see deadly terrorist attacks such as the recent one in Bulgaria, targeting tourists simply because they were Israeli, the marginalisation of Israel is totally unacceptable. 


READ MORE. . . 

Antisemitism erupts at protest outside Toronto's US Consulate

From the July 21 rally in Toronto

On a hot Toronto afternoon in July, a small crowd incongruously dressed for the weather; women in gowns and scarves covering them head to toe and the men and boys wearing heavy long sleeved shirts, paraded in a circle outside the U.S. Consulate.

The ostensive reason for the gathering last Saturday was to protest the imprisonment of a Shia cleric named Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia because of his secessionist activities there. But the mood, as is so often the case with events featuring radical leaders of the local Shia community, degenerated into one of anti-Semitism.

The US consulate is the hub of these protests, rather than those of the countries directly involved, because the leaders of these movements promote depraved conspiracy theories. These range from the US and Israel being responsible for the 9-11 terror attacks to a variety of the world’s ills being caused by Zionist conspiracies, as was the case on Saturday.

Also at the US consulate protest

The rally featured a number of speakers involved with the Canadian Shia Muslim Organization, which gained notoriety for posting anti-Semitic videos by former Ku Klux Klan supremo David Duke on its website.  They included Zafar Bangash, the radical Imam who Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center had previously condemned for issuing a thinly veiled threat to Jews in the event of a war with Iran.  Among the other speakers was Ali Mallah, who sits on the board Alternatives International, the group that funnelled money to the Sea Hitler Canadian Gaza Boat.

While Israel or Zionism had nothing to do with the al-Nimr protest, signs distributed by the organizers accused Israel of fostering violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Some even preposterously accused Saudi King Abdullah of being a “Zionist agent” as chants decrying Israel were shouted through bullhorns and parroted by the protesters.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center condemns such bigotry and hate mongering and is committed to expose and combat it when it occurs.

World's 'Most Wanted Living Nazi' arrested in Hungary

Laszlo Csatary, the world’s ‘most wanted living Nazi’ has been arrested by Hungary and charged with war crimes following information provided by the Simon Wiesenthal Center - a major accomplishment.

Read more. . .

Wiesenthal Centre protests to U.S. over Israel’s blatant exclusion from global counterterrorism forum

Algeria… Australia…Canada…China…Colombia…Denmark…Egypt…European Union…France…Germany…India…Indonesia…Italy…Japan…Jordan… Morocco…The Netherlands…New Zealand…Nigeria…Pakistan…Qatar…Russia…Saudi Arabia…South Africa…Spain…Switzerland…Turkey…United Arab Emirates…United Kingdom…United States...

These countries make up the Global Counterterrorism Forum, a group formed in 2011 under the leadership of the United States, to “provide a unique platform for senior[counterterrorism] policymakers and experts from key partners in different regions to share key insights and best practices.”

But who’s missing? The State of Israel.
Following Israel’s blatant omission when the Global Counterterrorism Forum was created, assurances were given by the United States Government that a way would be found to include the Jewish State.

It is one year later - nothing has changed.

READ MORE . . . 

Human rights activists overlook worst offenders

By Avi Benlolo in the Calgary Herald

At no other time in history have people around the world cared so much about one another. The interconnectivity of humanity today, mainly through the Internet, has permeated our lives and drawn more people to caring about others and to giving and supporting charities. That is the good news.

Because choosing your cause requires financial commitment, time and energy, it must speak to your heart and soul. More often than not, people become involved in causes they personally have a vested interest in from a historical context, or because of altruistic values they were raised with to help others and do the right thing to make our world a better place.

On a local basis, for instance, there is poverty, homelessness, crime, illness and disease, racism and intolerance, education, the environment, science and research, interfaith dialogue and religious institutions. Globally, one can apply the same issues and add to them conflict, genocide, war (or the threat of nuclear war), terrorism, famine, epidemics, national development, catastrophic emergencies (for example, Haiti or Japan), and so on.


At the same time, human rights activism has become complicated, and in many instances, individuals and institutions have found that some groups that preach human rights have questionable practices and links. There are plenty of organizations that run public programs such as food bank fundraisers, interfaith dialogues and community events, while privately demonstrating intolerance for others. These groups are simply cover operations that continue to be exposed by organizations that specifically monitor these issues, the media and government.

Read more . . . 

Canadians urged to respond to UC actions

By Jennifer Macleod 

TORONTO — With its sweeping moral judgments and harsh condemnation of Israel, a recent United Church of Canada report on Israel/Palestine policy has shocked some people into action.

And with only weeks to go before a church-wide vote, they’d like the rest of us to reach out, too.

When psychologist Ellen Greenberg read in The CJN about a church minister, Rev. Andrew Love, speaking out against the report (“United Church minister wants more balance on Mideast,” May 17), she immediately got on the phone – to invite him to dinner.

“She called me out of the blue,” said Rev. Love, who lives in Arnprior, Ont. After dinner, they attended an Aish HaTorah Evening to Celebrate Israel, which highlighted an Israeli field hospital in Haiti and other global contributions.

“It was a wonderful experience… to have dinner in someone’s home – total strangers – united by a bigger purpose, and a recognition that… this is going to be hard work: home-to-home, church-to-synagogue… relationship building.”

READ MORE . . .