September 13, 2024
In a news conference Friday morning, B’nai Brith Canada announced that it has developed a comprehensive policy for universities to use as a go-to resource for addressing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, which have spiked since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel.
The policy not only proposes measures to protect against antisemitism but enables post-secondary institutions to take a “proactive stance against disinformation and historical revisionism,” explains the document, called the B’NAI BRITH POLICY FOR COMBATING ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES (PCAC). “Its adoption would represent a commitment to upholding the values of truth, justice, and equity for all members of our campus communities.”
The framework, shared with all universities across Canada, was developed after B’nai Brith asked institutions in the lead up to the 2024-2025 academic year how they planned to protect Jewish students this year. In response, most schools said existing policies and frameworks already contain safeguards intended to combat and protect students from racism and hatred.
“The issue is that there is a lack of understanding of what antisemitism means,” said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy. “Universities need a better definition of antisemitism to improve their existing anti-hate policies and ensure Jewish persons are included within existing frameworks. PCAC is meant to fill this role by enhancing existing policies.”
PCAC has already received the endorsement of the Canadian Union of Jewish Students (CUJS), which was reestablished in late 2023 to serve as the voice of Jewish university students amid rising levels of antisemitism on campuses across the country.
B’nai Brith Canada looks forward to the universal adoption of PCAC and its acceptance into common parlance in Canada.
