By FRANCES KRAFT, Staff Reporter (CJN)
TORONTO ? James Pasternak, the school board trustee for York Centre, has drafted a motion asking the chair and director of the Toronto District School Board to condemn Israeli
Apartheid Week (IAW), held annually at the University of Toronto and other institutions.
James Pasternak
Ontario Legislature condemns Apartheid Week
Pasternak's motion urges chair Bruce Davis and director Christopher Spence to sign a joint letter to U of T president, David Naylor, stating that the TDSB's education partners should share ?ideals
of respect, tolerance and the promotion of peace.?
In an interview with The CJN, Pasternak noted that the university trains future teachers and works with the board in areas such as programs, research, recruitment and staffing.
The motion says the letter should urge U of T to ask IAW organizers ?to find space elsewhere and ensure that [they're] forbidden from trying to undermine TDSB policies and setting up in
TDSB'schools.?
Pasternak's concern is based in part on past ?recruitment of TDSB high school students,? the motion says.
Two years ago, a teacher at the Student School, an alternative school affiliated with the TDSB, organized information sessions and brought students to an IAW event organized specifically for high
school students, Pasternak said.
?We were very effective in working with the Student School and blocking any further activity,? following a student's complaint, he added. ?There was no real balance to the discussion of the
Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We have to present an honest and balanced dialogue in the search for peace. [IAW] merely demonizes Israel.?
Pasternak also noted that some IAW events are hosted at U of T's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, ?a teachers' college and a think tank, and many of the people end up working at our
schools. I don't consider that a healthy environment.?
IAW, which takes place this week and is now in its sixth year, encourages boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, and promotes the idea that Israel engages in ?ethnic cleansing.? It started
in Toronto, but has spread to more than 40 cities including New York, Johannesburg, Melbourne and Pisa, as well as Canadian centres such as Edmonton, Guelph, Halifax, Kingston, London, Montreal,
Ottawa, Peterborough, Vancouver, Waterloo and Winnipeg.
Pasternak, who plans to bring his motion to the TDSB board on Mar. 10, told The CJN last week that it's ?our responsibility as a school board to make sure [efforts to bring in younger students]
stop.?
In a statement, he said, ?This event is not a sincere and honest attempt to find common ground and peace in the Middle East. It presents one-sided misconceptions and distortions about the
challenges in the Middle East. The title and content of this event is disparaging and demonizes.?
He told The CJN that board members ?value the relationship' the TDSB has with U of T. But, he added, ?what we don't want is a situation in which organizers are trying to come into our high
schools to spread this insidious ideology that is a contradiction of our policies.?
Spence, the TDSB's designated spokesperson, was not reachable for comment by the time The CJN went to press.
Naylor was also not available for comment as The CJN went to press, but in a Feb. 24 letter about freedom of expression and diversity, which is posted on his website, he wrote that ?when members
of our community tell us that events or discussions may have violated university policies, we will assess those complaints quickly and take whatever actions are necessary to restore a safe
environment for producing knowledge and discussing ideas.?
Without mentioning IAW directly, Naylor wrote that freedom of speech is ?a core value for any university in a democratic society.? He also said the university wouldn't hesitate to intervene if
there are safety concerns, or if speakers ?migrate from advocacy to hate-promoting speech.?
As well, he added, senior university staff will monitor events if they have reason to believe they could be used to target members of the community.
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The Director of Education, Dr. Chris Spence, has released a statement in response to Israeli Apartheid Week. The statement is being circulated to all schools and will be posted on the
TDSB's website.
"Our educational goal includes the building of understanding, trust and co-operation among groups and individuals in the TDSB. The event called "Israeli Apartheid Week" has the effect of
fostering ill-will and disharmony among groups and individuals.
The Government of Ontario and the opposition parties have unanimously adopted a resolution condemning "Israeli Apartheid Week". The Toronto District School Board therefore affirms that "Israeli
Apartheid Week" and its activities are not permitted to take place on school or Board property, or as part of any activity under the jurisdiction of the TDSB. All TDSB staff in schools and
workplaces are reminded of the attached Guidelines on Controversial Issues, issued in May 2009".
