Page 4 - The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, March 24, 1978
M—T
Editorial
TlieCaoadian _Jewish news
iiuU'iH-iiJi-ni (.iMinmiimtv Ncwspjiu-r MTMiiL' .is .1 t.irutn l>ir JniTsc wi-wp.niit'.. Directors:', ChjrIesBioritman. Donaia Carr.Q.C... George A Cotion.,J3Ck Cumminqs, Murray B. Koftler, AlDert J. LJtner. Rjy D. Woite. RuLmiv dimmer man
Ai'.o^'dio EJitoi. L-'^vi-, Lo.enaoi Pioauci.oii Mjnj.;e. . Ga'^ UL'orct - Aaverl ising. Manaqi'i. Vor.i Gilim.!i. iMntr.MlfF/Nnu r..ii'-Bf-)""<?t
VOL. XVIV, NO. 7 (995)
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.Average total distribution..... 54,540 ement. .August 10. 1977
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11,1 resp.MiMbiliU tiir \\u' k.isliruth iil the produels advertisevi
The Arab boycott
Buying minds and souls
.•\ now book publi-shcd by Random House, The Economic War against the Jews,
assL-rts that the .Arab effort to strangle, first the .lowish conimiiiiity in Palestine and. siibseqaently the state of Israel, "is no longer the paper tiger it was regarded for . nian\ vears." The hook is the work of two British joiirnali^is. Walter Henry Nelson and ferrence Prittie, who spent two years in intensive research on the isstie of the uiternationai .Arab boycott.
Burton M. Joseph, national chairman of the ,\nti-Defaniation League of B"nai B"rith. who served as co-chairman of the negotiations between .ADL and the Business Roundiahle which led to guidelines for the L'.S anti-boycoit law, recently reviewed the book which he found most illuminating.
The book traces the history of the .Arab bo\cott. the full extent of compliance by U.S. exporters, the strong opposition by President Ford to the passage of anti-bovcoti laws then being considered and the subsequent death of the differing versions passed bv both Houses of Congress in the fall of N~b. The current life of the E.xport ■Administration .Act ends in 19"9 and in the jnterini. accordmiJ to the authors, the forces
seeking to appease the Arab nations will ■ have been busy; to seek minimum enforcement of the anti-boycott provisions and to make certain thev remain "dead" after 19~9.
.Authors Nelson and Prittie tell the story as they found it. frankly..explicitly and with complete documentation. In his review of The Economic War against the Jews, Mr. Joseph says it is clear that Arab, money is beginning to make headway in buying the minds and souls of the American people. But he sees this as not the only threat.
"With wealth goes power." he commented in his review. "The outflow of billions in Western currency from the consuming nations to the oil producers has created a new form of economic warfare, with .America's well-being and standard of living at stake."
Mr. Joseph is right, and what he says of the dangers to the United States holds good for Canada as well. This country has failed to come to grips with the full implications of \v hat the .Arab boycott means not'Only to the Jewish community but to Canadians as a whole.
Racism in Toronto
Time Bomb
We note with interest the results of a VL-pori prepared recently by Prof. Frances Henrv of York University■ on the racism quotient of Toronto's citizenry. Her conclusions arc far from consoling: she reports that more than 50 of the people poUed.by her exhibited racist attitudes- ranging from niild to \iolent. The professor found es-pcciallv disquieting the stereotypic , caricatures whichman> whites entertain about the visible minority groups.
.Raymond Aron. the Frefich thinker, has observed that "racism is the snobbery of the poor:" Prof. Henry's research shows this to be too narrow a definition. People interviewt5d in her project represented.a cross-section of Toronto's ethriic and • religious groups. There appears to be no correlation between economic status and racist attitudes — a theory that has always had wide currency.
■ One of the most disconcerting aspects of the study was the discovery that -even among people describing themselves as niembers of a religious community there' was a surprising large amount of racist ^feelings. Religious teachings on the b.ro- ' thcrhood of man still remain largely abstract notions which are' not apparently transiated.intopracticarmodels of human behavior. ' ■ ^
In this regard it vvas encouraging to read in the Henry report that among religious gi-pups. Jews harbor less racist attitudes .than the arhers. Among Jews, there is an
inclination to tolerance for racial minorities. This aspect of the repon confirms a fact that we have known for many years. The Jews have been the victims of racial discrimination for much of modern history. One need not rehearse the horrors of pogrom and the Holocaust in order to establish the truth of this melancholic phenomenon.
The experience of sufJTering on such a massive scale has been a good teacher in ' one respect. Jews understand the vulnerability of -minority status and can commiserate with those who are victimized by racist intolerance. They fear the consequences of Voltaire's statement that "those who believe in absurdities wilU commit atrocities." Jews learned from their bitter history that "there is no more evil thing in this.world than race prejudice...h justifies ■ and hoids together more baseness, cruelty, .
and abomination than any other son of error . in the world." as H.G. Wells rioted.
In recent months Toronto has: been treated to the Pitman Report, the Henry study and the conviction of two members of , the .Western Guard. The first two'explain the third. Racism and the spectre of violent .confrontation Which it engenders are not attractive prospects for this, city or this nation. The potential for intra-commiinity discord and tension is very great. .
We hope that a reasoned discussion of the underlying prejudices that animate too many of our citizens will help diffuse this time.bomb in our midst.
lOUS
uman or ma
v.-
In biblical terms. Israef is the-messianic Pronii.s'ed Land, the bountiful land ,of milk and hoiiev. the country to which hundreds . ,of thousands of Jewish refugees have. -nocked since the declaration of stateh.oodin . 1948. It is easily forgotten, however, that . quite asubstantial number of Jews have left . . Israelinsearch of better opportunities else- . • where. Three hundred thousand Israelis live in North America and tens of thoiisands . reside in Europe. .Africa, South America . : and Australia. For these Israehs,.the, Promised Land js New York, Capetown, London, or "Toronto'and Montreal. ^ ■ '
Emigration, oryerida, has always been a■ ■ problem in a nation beset -by. military, economic and social difficiilfies. It could not . be otherwise, but in Israel's case the loss of skilled manpower is.especially keenly felt . aiid rightly so. The tide of history -win always run against Israel if its besieged population remains vulnerably small. .
.: In the past; immigration (ahya) has al- v ways exceeded emigration, even if.-it was not by much. But this has how changed, ac-cordirigto Absorption Minister'JDayid-Levy. He disclosed recently that, for the first time since 1948, one Israeli leaves for. every person who immigrates. Mr, Levy warned that .. uhless-emigraiion .is stemmed/ and the.-. bii^hrate signficaritly, increased, "we will ; become a minority in this land."
His warning shoiild be taken with the utmost serfousness.
. Thefimplications of a large rion-Jewish • minority in Israel are plain. It would mean a
. fundamental shift in the political balance of power. That, ill tbrn, would undermine the Jewish spirit of the nation and dilute the dream of Zionism. Ultimately, in thei case of an Arab majority, the very essence of Israel. would change. ^ ' ^
In practice, Israet^s we know, it today would be transformed into a secular staife, or, at the very least, a bi-national state.
' ^ ■ .',"■.-....,■. / ■
Could, the.majority of Israelis accept such a prospect? It is doubtfuU Could a secular state work? Probably not'. Under those circumstances, inter-communal strife would not be a far-fetched possibility; It would be a repetition of the violence, that; rocked ■ Palestine from 1920 to 1947.
Can this scenario be reversed? It probably can under certain conditions/ A comprehensive, Arab-Israeli settlement would encourage aliya from the :West because peace wduld bring with it a measure of prosperity and co-operation the likes of which the Middle East has never experienced. By the same token, a decision: by the Soviet government to let its. Jews go would all but flood Israel with new citizens.
Certaiinly, barring unprecedented anti-Semitism, Israel cannot depend on Canada and the United Statesfor manpower. North American Zionism has an exceedingly poor recordjn aliyavand the Jewish communities here arebetterat fund-raising and lobbying . on Israel's behalfr functions Israel appreciates. - '[^^
As. for_other countries with big Jewish popuiations, Israel has no reason to be optimistic. In France and Britain assimilation '.. is such that aliya ispractically out of the question.. Argentinian anti-Semitism and instability pose dilemmas for the' Jews there, yet only a rhinority will actually pack their bags, and even less will emigrate to Israel. Black majority rule in South Africa could conceivably encourage a number of Jews to erhigrate, but again, they would likely turn to North America, Western Europe or Australia, where prospects are " more promising on economic terms.
In the long runT-Israel needs peace, as much for its well-being as for its survival^as/ a Jewish state. If peace eludes Israel, eriii-gration will continue to be a distressing phenomenon aiid the experiment that is Zionism will a;ttract only a handful of Jews from Ihroughput the world.
ByTpBAKORENBLUM
TORONTO —
Late last year, Lloyd A. Lindsay, a chattered accountant and father of two,' was subjected to a barrage of hate mail. Nazi literature and harassing phone calls, when he tried to take a one-man stand against the Etobicoke Board of Educaton. Charging that the board was using its public schools as "a pulpit to expound the teachings of Christianity." Lindsay was incensed that his six-year-old son was singled out because he chose to exempt himself from opening religious exercises at the beginning of each school day.
It was an old story for Lindsay and an organization like the Canadian Jewish Congress. The CJC, which has confronted similar cases for the past 30 years, has appeared before commissions investigating the issue and prepared deputations for successive education ministers — to no avail. Lindsay found his son's case reminiscent of his own childhood experiences. As a student in a Toronto public school near Manning and Queen, he had to join non-Christian classmates in the hall to exercise his option of exemption from religious classes.
Twenty-five years later, as a father, he wrote a list of municipal and provincial politicians noting: "Instead of teaching the children about brotherhood, equality and mutual respect, the schools of Etobicoke demonstrate that segregation is desirable and fashionable. Instead of de-emphasizing their, religious differences, the schools emphasize them." In futility and reluctantly, he says. Lindsay took his charges to the press. The issue not only stirred bigots to retaliate against the Weston resident, but a reporter in a Toronto, daily paper covering the story also received repeated intimidating phone calls.
Human rights fociis
Outside of Newfoundland and Quebec which have sectarian systems, Ontario is the only province where legislative provisions have been enacted to allow religious instruction in the public school system, according to Ben Kayfetz. executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Central Region. He describes the three-decade-old campaign by Congress to remove such statutes as "nailing jellv to the wall."
While most school boards.in Toronto — like Scarborough, North York and the city — have chosen to ignore the legal provision for religious instruction, Etobicoke. with a small Jewish community, has not. It iis the same board which allowed a"program" like Athletes for Christ to enter its schools, drawing the ire of Congress, the Canadian Counqil of Christians arid Jews, and journalist June Callwood. among'others.
For Lindsay. Kayfetz and other "members of the opposition." the issue has a distinct human rights focus: the segregation and discrimination of non-Chrjstian children in a public institution. The Ontario . Human Rights Commission is already investigating the Lindsay case, and.in. its revision of its code last year suggested that human rights statutes should have prece-" dence over all legislation, Cvhich would include The Education Act.
Congress, on . a pragmatic level, has .. avoided the hot potato of the promotion of religious holidays like Christmas and Easter in the schools. "Christian celebrations are a little like a sacred cow." says Kayfetz. "Some Jewish parents are worried the^^'ll feel the flak and that we're overdoing it." {.Over a decade ago, ah atteiiipt by the then Holy Blossom Rabbi Abraham Feinberg to discourage Christmas carols in public schools in his area was greeted by a hail of opposition frqm the Gentile community.)
For. two Christian clergymen-trustees, the problem is not so much one of human rights, as majority rights aiid privilege and. 's^tt'ha^ they^^yiew as an Overritiing and un-.ifounded concern for proselytization. Chairman of. the Etobicoke Board Rev.. Keith Kiddell says theire has been very little ■ opposition to the classes and "they will continue unless there are changes in the ministry guidelines."
The legislation permits Bible readings, hymns and the Lord's Prayer in ioperiing exercises and one, half-hour period per .week in religious instruction..^
'Not secure enough^
"No One has trieid to proselytize,"^ays Kiddell,. when asked about the Lindsay case. "I'rh siirprised there haven't been other complaints, (there have, accordirigto Kayfetz and Lindsay, who is also the head of -the Western Suburban Jewish Community
— a group which has rhet With Kiddell on several occasions, and'sent him a letter as early as 1971.) There is no basis to presume, says the board chairman, that discrimination against any child exists.
Turning to the North York Board, Rev. John Roberts, a trustee, who heads the crucial Education Programing Corhmittee, says "minorityrights have swung too far" and "individual rights have superseded the rights of the group." Universal prayers and New Testament readings are perfectly appropriate in a majority Chris'fian school, as would be Talmudic readings in a majority Jewish school in the public system, he argues. A Jevvish parent who protests: against religious _ iristrtiction in the piiblic schools, he adds, is just "not secure enough (in his beliefs) pr he wouldn't be intimidated ,by'it."V- V ■ ■ ■ .z'^.:- ..■.■■
Oneof the outwardly inconsistent factors
— according to several spokesmen who refused to comment on record — marriiig the campaign to remove religion from
public schools is the application by North York to introduce a Hebrevy day school into its system. The proposal has proved "inhibiting".~according to one source. A principle argument employed by North York's lawyer in a hearing before the Supreme Court last month was that legislation already paved the way for religious options in the school system. .
Lyic McBurney, executive director of the Ontario Association of Alternative and Independent Schools; sees no conflict in the two different campaigns. The public schools still have traces of a "vestigal Christianity,' ' he says, "ovcrlaycd with ideas from the secular humanist camp," the latter being a religion in itself The public system — to be accurately dubbed 'public' — ought to serve the needs of a pluralistic society; integrating a Jewish day school would do that, he argues.
North York Trustee Roberts concurs. Public schools, he laments, have a distinct "anti-religious" tone and'rather than discouraging sectarianism, they should provide for religious alternatives. He has been a strong proponent of the proposal to integrate Associated Hebrew Day Schools into the North York system, on the grounds of promoting religious pluralism.
Roberts is also a voting member of North York's Sub-Committee on Values, Ethics and Religious Observance in School Programs. "Values education" is an attemptto inculcate a sense of morality into the secular system, says the trustee, although he admits that "values" cannot be separated from Judeo-Christian ethics. "Religion," he says, "is that which is most important to you, your philosophy of life."
McBurney considers the w?vc of interest in values education — as enunciated in Ministry of Education guidelines — to be bordering on hypocrisy. The ministry's lawyer, in atttacking the Associated inte-gratii>n scheme in the Supreme Court, argued ilicn that "schools are for education, not for religious education." Yet. notes McBurney. values education has a clear religious overlay. "Values are synonymous with religiously-rooted ethics." he adds, remarking that ministry officials "arc
Religious instruction in Ontario public schools has been a controversial Issue staee 1944, when the provincial government allowed the introduction of religion into the classroom. The photo comes from Ministry of Education's curriculum policy guideline-
kidding people that they have an objective way of dealing with religion."
The ministry's curriculum policy brochure. The Formative Y'ears, says that children in primary and junior grades should "become aware of the values that Canadians regard as essential to the well-being and continuing development of their society — namely respect for the individual, concern for others, social responsibility, compassion, honesty, and the acceptance of work, thought and leisure as valid pursuits for human beings; begin to develop a personal set of values by identifying value alternatives . an'd their consequences..."
For McBurney, this guideline and others from the ministry . like The Reflective Approach to Values Education or Family
Studies deal with "ultimate belief questions." The Jewish community has. for the most part, he points out, won the battle to erase religious doctrinatibn from the public curriculum — in the form of prayers and Bible readings. The bigger danger now is the "enshrinemcnt of a secular religion" based on Protestant ethics.
"The ministry will mill around in confusion forever." he says of the attempt to replace religious education with values curriculum. "You can't find a common basis for values." The religious dynamic in public education, he concludes, has changed. Its no longer a Bible-thumping 19th century Christianity; the religious labels have merely been peeled off and its still Christianity cloaked as an objective approach.
Exhortation to end practice unheeded
The debate over religious education in the public schools has been an emotional, convoluted and protracted one. Generally from 1860 until 1944. school boards followed the dictum enunciated by Eggerton Ryerson "that it was not the function of the central authority to prescribe religions instruction." Historical y. religious instruction, then, was not an integral part of the eduCtational system', in a predotiiinantly Protestant, province.
As early as 1897. the Toronto Jewish community prcsente,d a brief to the city's , school board opposing an Anglican deputation that would have changed all that. ■'To admit religion into the schools." read the Jewish petition, "is to contradict the national purpose of such institutions — to make them serve private interests, and to convert them into what they were never intended to be — church aimexes and state-subventioned mis.sion-houses." The status quo was maintained, with instruction by clergyiiien rcrnaining" a voluntary after-schooi arrangement.
Yet. in-l944, contrary to precedent in any North American, pubHc!. non-denominational school system even to this day — the government-announced in its throne spieech that religious instruction could be given by classroom teachers within school hours. The onus was placed on the objector to declare himself an exception; it was a . radical departure from past tradition that
even left the Christian community surprised and dismayed.
Scrutinizing the ministry's guidebooks for religious instruction, Canadian Jewish Congress officials told the Hope Royal Commission on Education in 1945, that glaring misstatements of fact, errors in history and derogatory references to certain religions infiltrated text books. Despite repeated criticisms', Congress found that few revisions in fact were effected for several decades.
Bitter controversy
Deep community tensions were exposed, and a bitter political controversy was gericratcd in North York during the early 1960s, when the board, was under the direction of Frederick Minkler. A mass request for excmptiotis in one public school, which frustrated administrators, led to a public feud involving parents. Congress; and the Ethical Education Association. A bitter board petitioned the' minister of education to establish a committee of experts to investigate the place of religion in the classroom, and the political furore was defused.
Facing yei again another commission — this time in 1966 — the CJC reiterated its po.sition enunciated 20 vears earlier that
exemptions from religious classes bore psychological consequences. "It is not that we fear proselytization or conversion but we do deplore the consequences that flow from the conflict that inevitably arises in the mind of the child: between the authority of the teaching of the school and the different religious concepts which he will be taught at home and in his religious institution."
Chairman of that commission, Keiller McKay, a former Supreme Court jiistice and lieutenant governor of Ontario, agreed. After a three-year-long inquiry, he and his colleagues released a series of recommendations in 1969 that virtually went unheeded. '
"It is important-to see clearly;" the report read."where the responsibility in this situation lies: contrary to popular belief, discrimination is hot the problem of those who are discriminated against, but of the "smug majority" who perniit.the practice, and who alone have the power to end it. The public schools must surely be .kept free ■ of prejudices if society as a whole is to advance towards their elimination/' Sectarian religious indoctrination ought tp be abandoned, the commission concl.ude:d!
One of Congress' latest thorns is a $7,000 grant to an evangelical group to enter Hamilton.public schools, with the approval of the city council. A number, of Christian .groups, including the Canadian Council of Churches, oppose the move. -r-T.K,
, mT»,.r, ™,»„ . . , ,w . V (Religious News Service photo)
In a scene from NBC TV's upcomhig series, "Holocaust", ah anguished Inga Helms Weiss (Meiyl Streep] is restrained bom joining her artist husband, Karl [James Woods], who reache^ out to her from the rear of a truck as he Is being transported to the dreaded, concentration camp: of Theresienstadt. The nhie--wd-one-hidf hour dramatization wmb^^^ on four successive nights beghining April 16. The National CouhcU of Churches hasHpralsed It a8"more than an outstanding drama — not to be missed."
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