We cannot afford indifference
Cover Stori
WHAT WILL TOMORROW HOLD IF WE DON'T ACT TODAY?
TOGETHER, we will strengthen Israel's deteriorating social services network, help combat a rising tide of anti-, Israel hatred and antisemitism, assist communities in distress, provide a new Jewish generation with the tools to defend Jews and Israel, and invest in our own growing local community.
Many needs. One way to give.
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LANGARA from page 1
crimination or harassment on campus.
As a result of deep divisions on Canadian campuses, including violent dashes at Montreal's Concordia University, national Jewish organizations and individual donors have made funds available to Jewish campus groups like Hillel, which operates primarily out of the University of British Columbia campus.
Eyal Lichtmann, director of Hillel Vancouver, said the Lan-gara occurrence is a worrisome development on a campus where little conflict was reported before.
"What we have at Langara now is what we have at SFU," said Lachtmann, referring to the Simon Fraser University campus, whidi had been criticized as increasingly inhospitable to Jewish students last year, due to a series of hostile anti-Israeli newspaper articles and events. A less hostile student government was elected this year. After a suc-ccssftJ Israel Week at both Simon Eraser and UBC last year, Jewish students on those campuses were encouraged by the response they received from fellow students. Perhaps because of the increased activism of Hillel, anti-Israel activism has moved out from the larger university campuses into smaller community colleges. Lichtmann speculates this may be a strategy based on the assumption that there are fewer Jewish students at small-
er institutions. Liditmann thinks the strong response laimched by Butterfield, Morrison and their dub took the anti-Israel activists by surprise.
"They didn't expect us to organize there," he said.
Lichtmann commended the Langara Israel Advocacy Club members for what he called their mature, responsible approach to the difficulties. He also insisted that Jewish and other Zionist students have been able to respond to such incidents with greater strength because of additional funding Hillel Vancouver received in the past year, which has permitted the creation of two new staff positions, induding an out> reach co-ordinator and a director of Israel affairs.
Under a surprising new deal reached last month, the structure of Canada's national Jewish organizations vrill be massively altered and a new Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CUA) has been created. Part of the impetus for the reorganization was a feeling that more advocacy needed to be done across Canada, but a significant part of the new structure is aimed directly at advocacy on campuses, where some of the most alarming anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rhetoric is heard. □
Pat Johnson is a native Van-couverite, a journalist and commentator.'
It's time to shop Israel
Shop Israel in Vancouver, an event that supports Israeli merchants by bringing items from Israel for sale, will take place for the second year at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, Nov. 29 and 30. The event will help support the struggling Israeli economy by featuring products made and sold by Israeli merchants, induding a wide selection of unique and high-quality items such as jewelry, art, Judaica, kippot. Dead Sea skin-care products, T-shirts, books, olive wood products and ceramics. One hundred per cent of the proceeds go to the merchants. Last year's event helped almost 20 Israeli merchants and more than $82,000 in goods were purchased.
Since September 2000, terrorism in Israel has resulted in a 70 per cent drop in tourism and the decline has caused many merchants to lose their businesses. Add to that boycotts of Israeli goods around the world and the situation for many merchants has become dire.
Shop Israel in Vancouver will be open Saturday, Nov. 29, from 7:30-9:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information or to get involved, please call the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver at 604-257-5100.
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