Inclusion Infusions – anti-Semitism

Posted on Friday, January 10th, 2020

According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitism is “the belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.” The history of anti-Semitism can be traced back thousands of years, but still occurs even today.

You have likely seen the media coverage of the terrible Hanukah attack in New York over the break. However, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Canada as well. According to data collected by B’nai Brith Canada, there were 2,041 incidents recorded in the 2018 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, a 16.5 per cent increase over 2017.

As both an educational institution and employer, we take very seriously our responsibility to make sure Algonquin College is a space free from discrimination or harassment on the grounds of religion. We have policies and procedures that govern our expectations for behaviour of both our students (SA07 Student Conduct) and staff (HR18 Code of Conduct; HR24 Equity Diversity & Inclusion; HR22 Respectful Workplace), and for how we will prevent and address many different incidents of discrimination, including those that fall into the area of anti-Semitism. However, I believe that one of the most effective ways to foster tolerance (at a bare minimum) and strive for inclusion and belonging for everyone, is to be curious about others different from ourselves and individually practice our value of learning for personal growth. If you would like to learn more check out this resource on Principles for Dismantling Antisemitism – Independent Jewish Voices Canada (ijvcanada.org)

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