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relations. It acts as a lobby group on behalf of B'nai Brith Canada, Canadian Jewish Congress, Canadian Zionist Federation, and the Jewish communities of Canada. To support his claim, Mr. Michaels points to items in Mr. Felton's columns that are either factually incorrect or unbalanced. "[In Mr. Felton's Feb. 1 column titled "Cry havoc and wag the dogs of war,"] he says that the U.S. sells Israel nuclear weapons and information. It never sold Israel any nuclear weapons or any nuclear information and it certainly doesn't do so now," the CIC official said.
"[In Mr. Felton's May 10 column titled "Apartheid by any name is still wrong,"] he describes Zionism as a form of Jewish apartheid. He completely ignores the fact that almost one million Arabs are full citizens of the state of Israel and I think there are nine Arab MKs in the Knesset. (Arab citizens] have grievances as any ethnic minority does, but to go fiTom there and say that they live under a state of apartheid is jiast absurd."
Mr. Michaels also claims that a source Mr. Felton used in one of his columns is no more reputable than Mr. Felton himself
"If you look at some of his sources that he uses in some of his articles they're just standard anti-Israel polemicists," he explained. "He talks about the Khazars [in the May 11,1997, column titled "Israel can't hide firom its history forever^ referring to the work of Arthur Koestler. Well, [Mr. Koestler's] work has never been substantiated by any historian or cultural anthropologist and it [is] very speculative."
In that column Mr. Felton refers to Mr. Koestler's book titled The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and its Heritage which stated that the Khazars converted to become what is now called Ashkenazim, or European Jews. Mr. Felton uses this information and suggests that Ashkenazic Jews living in Israel today cannot claim affiliation with Israel's past.
"He ignores the fact that the majority of the Jews in Israel
are Sephardic and still would ■ have an attachment," explained Mr. Michaels.
Also in Mr. Felton's May 10 column, he quotes from Israeli scholar Benjamin Bcit-Hallah-mi's book Original Sins-Reflections of the History of Zionism and Israel that stated that the term "Jewish" in Israel is a political-administrative one, like the term "white" in apartheid South Africa.
"You can always find people who will denoimce anything in Judaism," said Mr. Michaels. "You can find Jews who say the Holocaust was a hoax too. The problem is instead of giving a careful consideration of what it means to be Jewish in Israel.. J'elton just runs and finds the most extrcme expression and then he takes off from there."
Mr. Michaels says it has become popular for writers like Mr. Felton to attack Israel and Zionism as a politically correct form of attack. "You can't attack Jews in a tolerant multicultural society so one way you channel that vitriol is to channel it
into a politically correct form and so you attack Israel with total unfairness and total distortion."
He says if readers wish to challenge the Courier or Mr. Felton themselves on the basis of factual accuracy or to get the other
side of the columnist's points they should get in contact with the CIC.
Their web site is http://wcb-com.net/-cic, the e-mail address is cic@idirect.com, or phone (416) 489-8889. □
All in the Heller family
Family members (l-r) Kitty Heller, Edwina Heller, Paul Heller, Irene Heller Bettinger and Sella Heller pose after a celebratory concert at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Sunday, May 17. The concert was In honor of local couple Paul and Edwina Heller for their contributions to Vancouver's cultural community since coming to Canada In 1941. The special benefit evening was sponsored by the board of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and organized by family friend Leila Getz.
CO
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