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January 18, 2007 / Tivet 28, 5767 Publication Mail Agreement #40011766 INSIDE Yesha Jewish population rising – P.6 US imam deported to Israel – P. 6 Veggies in a cube – P. 7 Scandals demoralizing – P. 8 Circulation 62,530 Largest Jewish Weekly in Canada Frum family donates to AGO – P. 9 Olmert Abbas ANTI-ISRAEL Rice to MOTIONS ON hold US mediated TEACHERS’ summit AGENDA – No date has been set yet AGAIN The Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders have agreed to District 12 criticizes ‘B’nai hold a US-mediated summit. The decision was announced Brith’s interference in OSSTF Monday after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met democratic processes’ Israeli Prime Minister Ehud By Atara Beck Olmert in Jerusalem. Tribune Corrrespondent An Olmert aide gave no imme- diate date for the meeting Last month, the Jewish Tribune published a story about the cancella- between Olmert and PA Presi- tion of an anti-Israel motion at a meeting of the Ontario Secondary dent Mahmoud Abbas, which School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) District 12 (Dec. 21, 2006). Rice would mediate. However, a new motion is being brought to the table at a meeting Olmert and Abbas held their Thursday, Jan. 18 and, according to information from a number of first summit last month, but irate teachers, the motion on the agenda is worse than the original. hopes of a breakthrough in For instance, it includes a request that “the provincial Human Rights peace efforts have not yet been Committee develop an educational campaign for its members as well borne out. Rice, who visited as curricular materials for the classroom, to be ready for Septem- Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, ber’s Provincial Council on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians; pledged stepped-up US support Palestine’s role in this conflict; the role of Canada in the Israel-Pales- for establishing a peaceful tine conflict, and the international community’s response.” Palestinian state alongside In other words, the creators of the motion would like to see the Israel. blaming of Israel included in the provincial high school curriculum. Addressing his parliamentary B’nai Brith Canada issued an alert, which included the following faction Monday, Olmert said he statement: hoped the three-way meeting “On Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007, the Council of the Secondary Teach- would be an opportunity to dis- ers Bargaining Unit (STBU) – part of the Ontario Secondary School cuss a “far-reaching political Teachers' Federation-District 12 Bargaining Unit – will be voting on horizon” with the Palestinians. PHOTO: NORM GORDNER one-sided motions that vilify Israel. In December 2006 we alerted One of the 35 used clothing bins in the GTA that help B’nai Brith Canada earn money to run you about a similar motion calling for support of the CUPE-Ontario’s some of its many human rights programs across Canada. boycott of Israel. Your vocal opposition made the difference and that Mass motion was removed from the agenda. It is time to make your voices resignation heard once again.” The alert went on to suggest ways to respond to the “delegitimiza- from Carter Used clothing tion” of Israel. According to information provided to the Jewish Tribune, a protest Center is planned outside the building during the Jan. 18 meeting. However, a number of teachers have said that they are not particularly worried ATLANTA (JTA) – Fourteen program ‘good deal’ members of the Carter Cen- about the motion, because, they say, in most cases such motions are ter in Atlanta resigned last defeated on the spot and go no further. Others disagree, saying it’s Thursday to protest the for- unacceptable that union members, who should be concerned with mer president’s book blam- for some charities union issues, are carrying on with an anti-Israel campaign in a com- ing Israel for the failure of pletely inappropriate venue and attempting to have their agenda Middle East peace efforts. While many private entrepreneurs out there are Last year, the spokesman told the Toronto included in the school curriculum. In a letter to Carter, the making big profits by collecting used clothing in Sun, the Jewish advocacy group took in about Roger Langan, executive officer of District 12 OSSTF, expressed group wrote that he had bins and reselling them for cash, only a handful $160,000 for its human rights programs, adding abandoned his role as concern in an email that OSSTF should not be “blamed for motions of legitimate charities are benefiting from the that its agreement with Somodif allows B’nai being brought by some of its members (all of whom, with the excep- peace broker in favour of same thing – where the money collected from Brith to use some of the clothes it collects for malicious partisan advoca- tion of one, are Jewish). We are a democratic organization. Everyone cy, portraying the conflict as their clothing bins go substantially to charity and emergencies or national disasters like the Asian gets heard.” He also seems to agree that the motion likely will be a “purely one-sided affair,” advocacy programs. tsunami of 2004 and last year’s Hurricane Katri- defeated. which Israel bears full A spokesman for B’nai Brith Canada told the na in New Orleans, where B’nai Brith collected responsibility for resolving. “There are actually three motions being proposed,none by OSSTF,” Toronto Sun last week in a front-page exposé of and helped distribute 250,000 pounds of cloth- he said. “Two are unobjectionable in my view – one by David Oren- “This is not the Carter private entrepreneurs, that B’nai Brith’s used ing. When approached by social service agencies Center or the Jimmy Carter stein and Karen Pape asking for peace in the Middle East, and a sec- we came to respect and clothing program in Toronto was one of the best for clothing, B’nai Brith tries to accommodate ond by Jason Kunin and Hayssam Hulays asking that the OSSTF support,” the letter said. agreements that exists in this kind of industry as community needs. endorse the recommendations of Amnesty International. Both these “Therefore, it is with sad- it manages its own program. The spokesman said, “If it’s done properly and motions pass the test of even-handedness. The second is tightly ness and regret that we B’nai Brith Canada has more than 35 bins in the effectively, it’s a very good program for a charity. hereby tender our resigna- focused on human rights.” Greater Toronto Area and works with Somodif, a But if you sell your rights and claims to it, peo- “The more objectionable motion,” he continued, “will, once again, tion from the Board of Montreal-based exporter, which buys the clothing ple will take advantage of charities. We would Councillors…immediately.” B’nai Brith collects at a per-pound rate. never let that happen.” See OSSTF, page 2. 2 - The Jewish Tribune - January 18, 2007 www.jewishtribune.ca NEWS Protest planned outside OSSTF meeting OSSTF cont. from page 1. within a democratic organization motion only becomes official charged with voting on the such as OSSTF. The motion was OSSTF action/policy IF it is motions. Surely the executive of be substantially withdrawn except neither proposed nor endorsed passed by a majority vote. This the OSSTF, which has, in fact, for one piece – its call for a BDS by the executive, but came from a has not occurred.” expressed some opposition to [Boycott, Divestment and Sanc- member of council. As long as “We of course reject any criti- the motions, appreciates that tions] campaign. Regrettably, the there is a mover and a seconder, cism by the OSSTF executive that those opposing the motions have proposers of this motion plan (at any council representative has we diverted the democratic as much right to express their this time) to graft this remnant the opportunity to bring forward process,” said Anita Bromberg, views as those putting forward onto the Amnesty motion, which motions for consideration.… director of legal services for the one-sided motions.” makes the latter impossible in my Once a motion is at council, it is B’nai Brith. “By alerting the com- B’nai Brith continues to view. So I hope to have the up to the individual council rep- munity, as well as individual receive numerous calls and movers leave the BDS motion to resentatives at the meeting to lis- members of the union, our pur- emails from concerned teachers stand on its own, where I am ten to and to participate in pose was to encourage people to who hope it will continue to quite certain it will be defeated. I debate and then decide whether exercise their democratic and stand up against what they per- am confident, in any case, that an or not the motion – regardless of constitutional right to express ceive as anti-Jewish action in the PHOTO: ISRAEL SUN amendment to delete a BDS addi- the issue – reflects the appropri- their concerns by being informed unions.