(Below is a a sample letter to send to Barrie’s Mayor and city council. Please feel free to copy/paste, and modify to reflect your own position. If you are Jewish, please mention that in your email. When sending, please CC the addresses of Barrie’s city councillors listed below, and BCC noihra@ijvcanada.org.)
++Subject: Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism! NO IHRA in Barrie
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Mayor Jeff Lehman
officeofthemayor@barrie.ca
Dear Mayor Lehman,
I am writing to you regarding the Barrie City Council motion on antisemitism sponsored by Mayor Lehman, which is set to come up for a vote on August 10, 2020.
A major campaign by Israel and pro-Israel lobby groups is under way to categorize certain criticisms of Israel as examples of “the new antisemitism”. The main tool they are using for this is the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, along with its illustrative examples, which they aim to have adopted by all levels of government and by public institutions.
Antisemitism is a real threat to Jewish communities. It must be fought like all other forms of racism, but the motion put forward by Mayor Lehman is not aimed at combating antisemitism, but at shielding Israel from its obligations to comply with universal human rights standards and international law.
The IHRA definition has been vigorously criticized by J Street, the Canadian Labour Congress, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, among many others. Even the original author of the definition, antisemitism expert Kenneth Stern, has spoken out saying that its adoption by public institutions represents a real threat to freedom of expression.
Let’s be clear, antisemitism is a real threat. It must be denounced and fought. However, the IHRA definition does nothing to keep Jews safe. On the contrary, the battle against antisemitism is jeopardized when supporting Palestinian human rights is labeled as antisemitic.
The fight against antisemitism in Canada is intimately linked to other expressions of hatred that are gaining ground as xenophobia and intolerance are on the rise. If adopted, the IHRA definition will result in the defamation and censuring of the very Canadians who stand opposed to racism and intolerance both at home and abroad.
Please vote no to the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in Barrie.
For more information, including a line-by-line critique of the IHRA definition, please consult the website www.noihra.ca.
Cc.
Clare.Riepma@barrie.ca, Keenan.Aylwin@barrie.ca, barry.ward@barrie.ca, Robert.Thomson@barrie.ca, natalie.harris@barrie.ca, Gary.Harvey@barrie.ca, Jim.Harris@barrie.ca, Sergio.Morales@barrie.ca, Mike.McCann@barrie.ca, Ann-Marie.Kungl@barrie.ca
Bcc.
noihra@ijvcanada.org