As new school year looms, B’nai Brith puts universities on notice

Published Aug 30, 2024  •  2 minute read

Anti-Israel protestors spread their message at the University of Toronto on May 13, 2024.

Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s hateful anti-Israel campus protests this fall, a Jewish group is putting university administrators on notice.

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In letters addressed to the heads of over 80 schools across the country, B’nai Brith Canada is urging universities to apply existing anti-racism and DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) policies to ensure Jewish students are protected from hate — particularly with the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks just around the corner.

“The situation during the previous academic year was untenable, and that the status quo cannot be tolerated,” B’nai Brith Canada’s Richard Robertson told the Toronto Sun.

“We provided them with actions that we feel need to be undertaken proactively, in order to ensure campuses remain safe spaces for all of their students.”

Earlier this month, a similar call was made by Jewish students’ organization Hillel Ontario, who in an open letter to administrators made pleas to ensure Jewish students are both welcomed and kept safe while on campus.

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Anti-Semitic hate crimes skyrocketed in Canada since the Oct. 7 terror attacks, which saw Hamas terrorists inflict a campaign of murder, kidnappings and sexual assault against Israeli men, women and children.

Praising the terror attacks as an act of resistance, anti-Israel extremists in Canada took up the cause in a series of hateful marches, protests and university campuses across the country.

A number of university campuses hosted anti-Israel encampments, serving as a means to both spread their message and intimidate Jewish students and their allies.

“We’ve heard from students across Canada about the previous school year, and I don’t think it’s egregious to say that it was traumatic for them,” Robertson said.

“We’ve heard from multiple students who said they just don’t feel safe on campus, and worse than that, they felt ostracized, alone and feeling they couldn’t go to the university for redress.”

Robertson understands that universities can’t control the actions of their more radical students, but said reactions from administrators need to be stronger.

“Jewish students need to be properly included in the frameworks, policies and procedures designed to help vulnerable groups on campus.”

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