“Shul backs out of hosting controversial rule of law conference,” by Ron Csillag, Canadian Jewish News, December 13, 2018:
A prominent synagogue in Toronto has pulled out of a controversial event that it was scheduled to host in March.
Canadians for the Rule of Law (CFTRL), whose board includes high-profile members of the Jewish community, had planned an “All-Day National Teach-In” on March 17 at Beth Tikvah Synagogue.
But after the event was criticized due to some controversial figures who were scheduled to speak at it, the congregation withdrew, citing security concerns.
The topic to be explored was “the new taboo: respect for the rule of law in Canada.”
There are organizations and “political tribes” that threaten the rule of law in Canada, the group explained on its website. Those include the radical left, radical Islamists and the radical right. “These groups include free speech disruptors and deniers on campuses, terrorist-funded Canadian jihadi organizers, Muslim Brotherhood public curriculum developers, hate speakers on social media, returning ISIL fighters, victimized me-first exceptionalism that overrides the survival of Canadian values, violence-promoting anti-Semites and deniers of religious pluralism and freedom.”
The program promised “extensive, in-depth and sensitive content about who those disruptors are, the threats they pose to traditional respect for the rule of law and how new measures can be taken by law-abiding Canadians to address these threats.”
The organizations listed as supporting the program were B’nai Brith Canada, Canadian Citizens for Charter Rights and Freedoms, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Mozuud, ACT! For Canada and the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research.
Beth Tikvah, a Conservative synagogue with 1,100 member families, was contacted on Dec. 9 by Karen Mock, the president of the progressive Jewish group JSpace Canada, who asked the shul’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Jarrod Grover, for a meeting to discuss “potential damage control” over media interest in the event “because of the Islamophobia and bigotry associated with some of these groups and individuals.
“The last thing our community needs at this stage is more divisiveness,” Mock wrote.
On Dec. 11, Rabbi Grover issued the following statement:
“Beth Tikvah Synagogue, in addition to serving as a house of worship, regularly rents its space to community groups for the public benefit. We agreed to rent out space to Canadians for the Rule of Law for the purpose of hosting their teach-in conference this coming March. Beth Tikvah was never a sponsor or organizer of this event, only a rental facility. Taking into account security and police concerns, we have decided that our synagogue is not an appropriate venue. We have advised the organizers to find an alternative location.”
The rabbi’s statement came a day after a story was published in NOW magazine, in which journalist Michael Coren alleged that some of the groups behind the event and some of the scheduled speakers have a “disturbing” history of anti-Muslim and anti-gay rhetoric, and support for far-right causes.
Donald Carr, president of the CFTRL, said in a statement that, “We champion free speech and we promote the rule of law. That’s what the teach-in is all about. We reject any attempt by those who wish to stifle free speech. Their aims will ultimately be thwarted and rejected by the many communities who need positive programs like this one.”…
Among the scheduled speakers and moderators are: Calgary lawyer John Carpay, founder of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms; Charles McVety, president of Canada Christian College; Benjamin Ryberg of the Lawfare Project; Robert Walker, executive director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada; and Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada.
Also slated to speak is broadcaster Christine Douglass-Williams, who last year was fired from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s board of directors over comments she made about Islam….
“Synagogue bullied by so-called ‘Anti-Racism Activist,’” by Daniel Bordman, The Post-Millennial, December 19, 2018:
The overwhelming irony of this article will write itself, as a conference set to deal with the issue of how threats of Islamophobia hinder the ability for free speech had to be relocated due to threats of Islamophobia. This story would be funny, if there wasn’t something much more sinister behind it.
About a week ago I was contacted by the Rabbi of Beth Tikvah synagogue, Jarrod Grover, who was rather distraught over this article in Now magazine labeling his synagogue “anti-Muslim”. The very first thing you see in the article is a picture of the chapel at Beth Tikvah with the name of the synagogue right below it.
To understand the gravity of the story, we need to go over the sequence of events that lead up to the article, the history of antisemitism and the consequences of an accusation like this and the major figures in the “anti-racism” movement.
What happened?
Synagogue was to host conference on threats to Canadian freedomsA group called Canadians for the Rule of Law (CFTRL) organized a conference in March of 2019 to discuss issues and groups that pose a threat to Canadian freedoms, specifically “far-left, Islamist, and far-right” groups. You can read their description of the event here.
The event organizers went looking for a venue to host the conference and settled on Beth Tikvah. Just to be clear here, Beth Tikvah was never a sponsor or had any control over the event, they were just the host venue, which means they were paid a fee for their space.
This is a very common way for religious institutions to earn money to pay their rent.
Canadian Anti-Hate Network intimidated synagogue with negative media attentionOn December 9th, Rabbi Grover was contacted by email by Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), who demanded to know why Beth Tikvah would let such an event take place.
The CAHN was set up to monitor far-right groups across Canada and claims to be inspired by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the U.S.
It is interesting to note that the SPLC just had to payout a $3.4 million lawsuit to Maajid Nawaz for slandering him as an anti-Islam activist despite being a Muslim himself and former radical who now speaks out against extremism.
One would think that Bernie Farber and the CAHN would want to participate in an event that talks about the dangers of the far-right, not shut it down.
However, as I will go into later, that is not Bernie Farber’s MO.
Farber’s email made it clear to Rabbi Grover that unless Beth Tikvah condemns the event and repents their association, the media around it would not be positive. Rabbi Grover told me that he wanted to make a stand for free speech and Canadian values and did not give into Farber’s demands.
Low and behold the very next day, there is an article in NOW magazine by Michael Coren talking about the anti-Muslim element in the Jewish community with a picture of Beth Tikvah right on it.
You might wonder who is quoted at the end of the article?
None other than Bernie Farber himself, how convenient.
This set off a firestorm as the national media got involved wanting to know the same thing as Bernie Farber.
Does Beth Tikvah support the views of the listed speakers?
Exposure lead to security concerns at the SynagogueHere is some inside information for the readers here.
I know some of these speakers, and a lot of them disagree with some of the views or reasoning of the other speakers involved. Which is why this is a conference and not a rally!
Regardless, this is the new era of moral puritanism, where any association to anything the far-left and media establishment disagrees with is blasphemy and must be punished.
After the massive uproar, there started to be threats against Beth Tikvah and their board needed to get involved.
After meeting, they determined that they could no longer host the event due to the ongoing security concerns.
Was Beth Tikvah Threatened?
Anti-hate activists only care when it’s politically convenientAntisemitism is on the rise and synagogues are under threat. Don’t take my word for it, listen to Bernie Farber.
We all remember the horrific shooting by Robert Bowers at the Tree of Life synagogue that spawned the “together against antisemitism” movement.
However, not so many of us remember the next week when Mohamed Mohamed Abdi rammed his car into a crowd of Jews leaving a synagogue in LA, spawning the much more popular “together against antisemitism, only when it is politically convenient” movement, implicitly endorsed by the progressive Left and mainstream media.
This was followed up by a foiled ISIS-inspired attack on a synagogue in Ohio.
Yet, if you were to read Bernie Farber’s column, there is not one mention of any Islamist or far-Left group in connection to antisemitism, despite the overwhelming evidence of these two influences on the new influx of antisemitism. Instead, we must worry about the Proud Boys, a group that has not even sneezed near a synagogue.
Rabbi Grover said something interesting to me. He said “I’m not Pam Geller”.
To explain, Pam Geller hosted a draw Mohammed contest, and as a result two armed Islamists attacked the event. Rabbi Grover meant that he was not willing to put the lives of his congregants in danger to prove a point….
