By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
Content warning: mentions of genocide, ethnic cleansing, Zionism, and antisemitism.
Selina Robinson, the BC minister of post-secondary education, resigned from the NDP on February 28.
Robinson is Jewish and resigned from her position after her derogatory comments made about Palestine. Her statement said the state of Israel was founded on “a crappy piece of land.” Palestine was occupied by the state of Israel in 1967 and has since been subjected to cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Robinson believes there is a double standard within the NDP caucus and describes herself as a “lone voice” when providing Jewish British Columbians’ perspectives.
Independent Jewish Voices Canada’s (IJV) Vancouver chapter responded to Robinson’s claims in an open letter critiquing the former ministers’ views on Palestine and her representation of Judaism.
“The letter was written to communicate to Ms. Robinson and people interested in her behaviour that a significant and growing number of Jews reject the approach that she has taken with regard to Israel, Palestine and the genocide in Gaza,” said Sid Shniad in an interview with The Peak. Shniad is a founding member of the IJV. He rejected Robinson’s implication that she is a spokesperson for Jewish individuals. He said, “She is speaking only for those Jews who are unquestioning supporters of the state of Israel.”
The term Zionism has been rising in the media since October 7, when militant group Hamas retaliated against Israeli occupation. Zionism refers to Israel’s national ideology, where Judaism functions both as a nation and a religion. According to Vox, Zionists believe “Jews deserve their own state in their ancestral homeland, Israel,” and should have privileges that Arabs and Palestinians do not. Many people “see Zionism as a species of colonialism and racism aimed at appropriating Palestinian land and systematically disenfranchising the Palestinians that remain.”
Shniad explained that the Jewish community is not monolithic, and there are diverse identities and ideologies within Jewish communities. “It is important to note that there has never existed a single Jewish community, any more than there exists a single Christian, Muslim, Black, South Asian or East Asian Community,” said Shniad. “Each of these religious and ethnic groupings [are] comprised of groups embracing a range of different religious, political, and social views.”
Shniad mentioned, “When it comes to the subject of Israel, there are those who are militant Zionists as well as those who do not identify with Zionism, and those who reject Zionism altogether.”
Many supporters of the Israeli state argue that any criticism of Israel’s actions “is itself antisemitic.” Yet, Shniad noted, “We reject this as a mischaracterization designed to deflect attention from Israeli reality and to intimidate those who have concerns about what is happening in Israel-Palestine.” He said that criticizing the Israeli state is to acknowledge the “apartheid and settler colonialism” they are committing.
IJV raised concerns about how the NDP caucus has given “a great deal of concern” to Jewish communities since October 7. Yet, there has not been similar compassion or understanding for Palestinian or Muslim communities, “many of whose family members have been victims of the genocide that Israel continues to inflict upon Gaza.”
“It is our view that everyone — Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and those who don’t identify with any religion — should be concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people just as they were concerned about the people in South Africa who were oppressed by that country’s system of apartheid. Palestinians have been ethnically cleansed from their homes and subjected to institutionalized oppression for more than 75 years,” said Shniad. “It is the duty of everyone who purports to have a concern about human rights to do everything in their power to bring this suffering and subjugation to an end.”
