NDP leader Avi Lewis defends Yom Kippur post amid accusations of anti-Semitism
Lewis says his remarks were not intended to hold all Jews responsible for Israel's actions.
What to know
- NDP leader Avi Lewis denied accusations that his Yom Kippur post held all Jewish people responsible for Israel's government actions in Gaza.
- Supporters argue that calling for Jewish voices to distance themselves from Israeli policy is not anti-Semitic but rather a way to prevent conflation of Israel with all Jews.
- The dispute hinges on the distinction between critiquing Israeli government policies and targeting Jewish people as a collective group.
Lewis's call for Jews to distance themselves from Israeli actions is legitimate and not anti-Semitic.
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“I'm with Avi Lewis here. You see, the problem is when Jewish people say, "We need to speak up about what's going on in Gaza—ensure it's not in our name," you get a dogpile of people accusing us of shifting collective blame on Jews.”
atomicpoet · Mastodon ↗
Avi Lewis NDP leader
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Supporter argues speaking out against violence is not anti-Semitic
A Jewish commenter defended Lewis, arguing that calling for Jewish people to distance themselves from Israeli government actions is not anti-Semitic but rather necessary to prevent anti-Semites from conflating Israel with all Jewish people.
“it is not anti-semitism to say that Jews need to speak up. Quite the opposite.”
— atomicpoet -
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I’m with Avi Lewis here. You see, the problem is when Jewish people say, “We need to speak up about what’s going on in Gaza—ensure it’s not in our name,” you get a dogpile of people accusing us of shifting collective blame on Jews. But if you don’t say this violence isn’t in our name, you have anti-semites conflating Israel with Jews and getting…
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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Negative generalizations or dehumanization towards people or groups based solely or largely on grounds such as those laid out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are not permitted. This includes but is not limited to race, national or ethnic origin (including First Nations), colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability and also…
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Trying to link Lewis to anti-semitism is such a losing argument. He’s a Jewish man that’s repeatedly spoke out against the conflation of Jewish people with the state of Israel
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Lewis denies holding all Jews responsible for Israel's actions
Lewis responded to the backlash by stating he was "absolutely not" holding all Jews responsible for Israel's government policies, clarifying the intent of his post.
“absolutely not…”
— Avi Lewis -
1 outlet first by CBC, 1d ago · read ↗
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background
Avi Lewis posts Yom Kippur message on Israel-Gaza — NDP leader Avi Lewis posted remarks on Yom Kippur related to Israel's actions in Gaza, which drew criticism and accusations of anti-Semitism.