Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians

Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) (IJV(C)) describes itself as representing Jews in Canada who have in common a strong commitment to social justice

Social justice

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...

and universal human rights.The organization was founded in 2008 as a result of the national Independent Jewish Canadian Conference.

IJV(C) promotes the expression of alternative Jewish voices, particularly in respect of the grave situation in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, which threatens the future of both Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

is and Palestinians as well as the stability of the whole region. It is guided by the following principles:

Human rights are universal and indivisible and should be upheld without exception. This is as applicable in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as it is elsewhere.
Palestinians and Israelis alike have the right to peaceful and secure lives.
Peace and stability require the willingness of all parties to the conflict to comply with international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

.
There is no justification for any form of racism, including anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...

, anti-Arab racism
Anti-Arabism
Anti-Arabism or Arabophobia is consistent advocacy of discrimination, extermination, prejudice, hostility, hatred, or genocide toward Arabs.-Arab definition:...

or Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....

, in any circumstance.
The battle against anti-Semitism is vital and is threatened whenever opposition to Israeli government policies is automatically branded as anti-Semitic.

Positions

IJV(C) wants Israeli policies to be in accord with international law and human rights. This includes withdrawing from land Israel occupied

Israeli-occupied territories

The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...

after the Six-Day War

Six-Day War

The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...

in 1967, respecting the universal right of refugees to return to their homes

Right of return

The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...

or receive compensation, dismantling the Separation Wall

Israeli West Bank barrier

The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...

and Israeli settlement

Israeli settlement

An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...

s on the West Bank

West Bank

The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

and Golan Heights, and correcting laws and practices within Israel which allegedly discriminate against the rights of non-Jews.

First National Conference

The Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians

Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians

Independent Jewish Voices describes itself as representing Jews in Canada who have in common a strong commitment to social justice and universal human rights.The organization was founded in 2008 as a result of the national Independent Jewish Canadian Conference.IJV promotes the expression of...

along with independent activists held a national Independent Jewish Canadians Conference on March 28-30, 2008 with Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...

as its keynote speaker. The participants affirmed their support for international law, its opposition to all forms or racism (including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia), and pledged to counter the view that any criticism of Israel's government and military policies is automatically racist. Specifically, IJV(C) opposed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza which commenced in 1967. The Principles adopted at the conference support the view that:

"There is no justification for any form of racism, including anti-Semitism, anti-Arab racism or Islamophobia, in any circumstance. The battle against anti-Semitism is vital, and it is undermined whenever opposition to Israeli government policies is automatically branded as anti-Semitic."

The conference passed a resolution creating an interim steering committee that would found a national progressive Jewish organization. The steering committee adopted the name Independent Jewish Voices (Canada) shortly afterwards. ACJC co-founder Eibie Weizfeld

Eibie Weizfeld

The co-founder of the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians, Abraham Harvey "Eibie" Weizfeld is a Montreal-based peace activist and author.In 1985 he attained notoriety when he and a colleague attacked a statue on Parliament Hill as part of a protest by a group called Parliament Hill Peace Camp,...

split with the new group and continues to lead an organization called ACJC which is unconnected with IJV.

The seven stated goals of IJV(C) are:

To give Jewish Canadians an alternative that works for peace and justice
To challenge the Jewish establishment's views on the Middle East
To open up discussion about Israeli government and military actions
To support the right of Canadians to discuss Israeli policies without fear of being accused of anti-Semitism
To promote contacts with Muslims and Arabs in Canada and to demonstrate that we can work together for peace
To oppose wars of aggression
To work in solidarity with the peace movements and war resisters within Israel

Support for Boycott of Israel

In June 2009, the IJV reportedly became the first national Jewish organization to join an international campaign in support for a the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions refers to a campaign first initiated on 9 July 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organizations in support of the Palestinian cause ".....

" against Israel. IJV stated that it will:

On pro-Israel advocacy

In an article written for the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....

and reprinted widely since, IJV(C) member Jason Kunin wrote that "pro-Israel advocacy depends upon on the active dissemination of Islamophobia. Not surprisingly, engendering hatred in this manner inflames anti-Jewish sentiment among Arabs and Muslims. None of this is a recipe for making Jews safe" and that "Defenders of Israel often argue that Israel is forced to do what it does — to destroy people's homes, to keep them under the boot of occupation, to seal them into walled ghettos, to brutalize them daily with military incursions and random checkpoint

Random checkpoint

A random checkpoint is a military and police tactic involving the set up of a hasty roadblock primarily by mobile truck-mounted infantry or police units in order to disrupt unauthorized or unwanted movement and/or military activity.Random checkpoints are set up to achieve surprise, as opposed to...

s — to protect its citizens from Palestinian violence."

In an interview with the Ryerson Free Press
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...

in July 2009, then IJV co-chair Diana Ralph expressed confidence that "progressive Jews in alliance with other pro-justice groups had the potential to build a movement powerful enough to expose, weaken and eventually defeat the Canadian Israel lobby." Ralph also claimed that "in spite of heavy pro-Israel propaganda, most Jews are far more progressive than the Israel lobby which claims to speak for them."

2008-2009 Gaza War

IJV opposed the Gaza War. In a press release issued at the beginning of the conflict, the group stated that:
IJV participated in the Code Pink

Code Pink

Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...

delegation which brought humanitarian relief to the territory in May 2009.

Allegations against Israeli government

In April 2008, IJV Coordinator Diana Ralph stated that "I think there's lots of evidence that suicide bombings and violence coming from Palestinians are often planned, and directly provoked, by the Israeli government. And when they [Palestinians] react, the Israeli government uses that as an excuse to massively overreact. So I think taking down the wall would actually increase Israeli security. Obviously, Israel is the instigating power."

IJV criticism of the Canadian Jewish Congress

The IJV has been highly critical of the Canadian Jewish Congress

Canadian Jewish Congress

The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...

(CJC). In an interview with the Kelowna Daily Courier, Sid Shniad, co-chairman of the IJV Canada, accused the CJC of "playing the anti-Semitic card ... because they don‘t have a lot else. They want to intimidate; they want to shut (the debate) down. They want people to avert their eyes when it comes to the ongoing crisis there to allow them to do what they have been doing." He further added that the CJC is "playing a losing game. They‘re placing themselves on the wrong side of the issue of free speech. It can't be won. You don't win people‘s hearts and minds by telling them to shut up and go away.” He also stated that it was “outrageous” that Bernie Farber, CEO of the CJC, attended a conference of the United Church of Canada

United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...

(UCC) “to try to shut down this debate.”

Canadian Jewish Congress criticism of IJV

The Canadian Jewish Congress

Canadian Jewish Congress

(CJC) has often criticized IJV(C). Bernie Farber

Bernie Farber

Bernie M. Farber is the former chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress and a social activist. He has testified before the Canadian courts as an expert witness on hate crime....

, chief executive of the CJC, states that "no one ever says Israel is perfect" and predicted the fledgling group will have trouble finding support. Farber stated that the alliance "will remain a rump on the edge of Jewish society." "In January 2010, Farber described the IJV as calls a "fringe group" that spews "vile, anti-Zionist" rhetoric.

Controversy over Diana Ralph

In 2009, a minor controversy ensued when the National Post publicized former IJV co-ordinator Diana Ralph's contribution of a chapter to The Hidden History of 9-11, in which she wrote that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were an American and Israeli conspiracy to "seize control of Eurasia, and thereby the entire world." She also wrote that "It is difficult to draw another conclusion than that Bush's associates organized the 9/11 attacks to kick-start popular support for this war" and that "The 'war on terror' is a concept modelled on Israel's assaults on Palestinians to provide a cover for campaigns of territorial conquest."

Howard Davidson, a member of the IJV steering committee, stated that Ms. Ralph's past has "nothing to do with the IJV" and that "The positions of Diana Ralph stated in those articles do not represent the positions of the IJV."

Criticism of Stephen Harper

In 2010 Canada's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council failed. Prime Minister Stephen Harper blamed "a rising tide of antisemitism". Diana Ralph for Independent Jewish Voices said: "The fact the Holocaust was a terrible crime and terrible tragedy . . . it has absolutely nothing to do with justifying similar — not similar in the sense of the same scope — violations of human rights and of the people of Palestine." Writing in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...

, Melanie Phillips

Melanie Phillips

Melanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She began her career on the left of the political spectrum, writing for such publications as The Guardian and New Statesman. In the 1990s she moved to the right, and she now writes for the Daily Mail newspaper, covering political and social...

described Independent Jewish Voices as "...those obnoxious Finklers ... part of that broader coalition of hatred which should surely be called Jews for Injustice Against Jews".