Dear Friends,
As Chair of the Board of Hasbara Fellowships Canada, I would like to wish all of you a Chag Pesach Sameach in these challenging times.
As we prepare for a Passover unlike any other and try to remain optimistic in this new world of social isolation, there is one message I would like to convey to you: we can get through this.
After all, as the Story of Passover reminds us, the Jewish people have faced many hardships throughout our history – and we survived.
But this is also not the time to be idle. As advocates for the State of Israel, we simply can’t afford it.
I say this because, while the novel coronavirus is the only issue most of us can focus on these days, that is not the case for those who routinely promote antisemitic hatred and misinformation.
In fact, these so-called “activists” have been using COVID-19 to peddle conspiracy theories about Israel and the Palestinians, ignoring the fact that the former continues to support the latter in staving off the virus. Take, for example, the Montreal BDS promoter who was recently exposed for claiming that “Zionist Jews created the coronavirus.”
With university campuses shut down, students have moved online to complete their educational journeys, where this type of vitriol is more prevalent than ever. At Hasbara, we continue to work with students to offer guidance and resources, report antisemitic social media posts like the cartoon below, and expose the antisemitism of BDS groups online.
Antisemitic cartoon shared by student on Facebook
At York University, while Israeli and Palestinian leaders are working together to save Palestinian lives at risk of contracting COVID-19, the Palestine Solidarity Collective (PSC) group this week sent out an email to student clubs urging them to join a discriminatory boycott of Hewlett Packard because it has a large presence in Israel.
Indeed, even during the apocalypse, the proponents of this bigoted movement will not be swayed from promoting their biased political agenda.
Fortunately, York student club leaders also heard from our Hasbara at York student activists, who shared objective and detailed information that paints a much clearer picture of the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as outlining Israel’s ongoing efforts to establish cooperation and peace, and why BDS has been widely discredited as bigoted and xenophobic.
Make no mistake, we will not allow our heritage to be hijacked by these radical groups looking to rewrite our Jewish history and identity.
My friends, while COVID-19 will certainly occupy most of the talk at our digital seders this evening, I implore you not to forget the meaningful efforts of our Hasbara Fellows on high school, college, and university campuses across Canada. With the haters intensifying their campaign of demonization and delegitimization, we must be more proactive, more cunning, and more creative in conducting our pro-Israel advocacy.
This is why we recently offered our Hasbara ONLINE webinar series and included pro-Israel speakers of Muslim, Druze, and Christian heritage to offer their unique perspectives. Please continue to be on the lookout for more educational opportunities and advocacy initiatives from Hasbara and our cadre of student leaders.
On behalf of our students, stakeholders, and entire Hasbara mishpuchas, Chag Pesach Sameach. Wishing you a meaningful and happy Passover.
Stay healthy,
Dr. Jack Muskat
Chair of the Board
Hasbara Fellowships Canada
