Opinion
When do anit-vax social media posts cross over into antisemitism
By BERNIE BELLAN To what extent do many individuals who are adamantly anti-vax also share antisemitic beliefs? That is a question that has become of increasing concern, not just to members of the Jewish community, but to many thoughtful individuals who are alarmed by the tendency of many anti-vaxxers to use slogans that would either identify them as overtly antisemitic or, as is often the case, quick to use references to the Holocaust so as to gain sympathy for their usually totally erroneous arguments against vaccinations and mask mandates.
From time to time we read or hear of someone who has resorted to comparing what they claim is the persecution of anti-vaxxers to the plight of Jews during the Holocaust. Recently, for instance, I was contacted by a CBC reporter who asked me whether I had heard about the case of one such individual, someone by the name of Shea Ritchie, who owns two different restaurants in Winnipeg, Chaise Café & Lounge at 271 Provencher, and Chaise Corydon at 691 Corydon.
I hadn’t heard of Shea Ritchie, so I asked the reporter if she could send me something – such as a Facebook post or perhaps a video, that would explain why she was asking me about this particular individual. Subsequently she sent me a link to a video which Ritchie himself shot, in which he confronts four Manitoba Public Health officers who are at his Provencher restaurant to serve him with some sort of notice that he is in violation of public health orders. (You can view the video in its entirety at https://www.facebook.com/541085022/videos/551434249405086/)
During the course of the video, Ritchie (who is the one shooting the video) can be heard berating the officers – who keep their cool throughout and don’t engage Ritchie, as he continually tries to goad them into overreacting, and makes several Holocaust-related references. At one point he asks the officers “Can we put yellow stars on them (anti-vaxxers) and ship them out of here?”
Later, in a mocking tone, he questions why unvaccinated people are even allowed to remain in the city, saying “You guys are already building camps, right? So why can’t we just ship them out?” He then repeats the yellow star reference, asking “Shouldn’t we be identifying them with something bright – like a yellow star?” Then, he asks “Why don’t you guys just ship them away and take their kids and forcibly vaccinate their kids?”
Now, while one might be left more than a little uncomfortable hearing Ritchie use Holocaust analogies repeatedly, one might argue that, although he is misappropriating Holocaust imagery to support his twisted arguments, he is not saying anything overtly antisemitic in itself. To that extent, what he is doing is a clever manipulation of well known imagery to elicit sympathy for what he would argue are persecuted individuals who refuse to get vaccinated.
Compare Ritchie’s more subtle references to well-known tropes with the overt antisemitic claims of a more notorious anti-vaxxer, who goes by the name of “Chris Sky” – whose real name is Christopher Saccoccia. Sky has been to Winnipeg three times since the beginning of 2021 – in January, in April, and then again in August. When he was here in August he was served with an arrest warrant by Winnipeg police for failing to self-isolate when he entered Manitoba in January and for breaking gathering orders at a public place in April. (He was released after a bail hearing.)
Sky has resorted to overt antisemitic statements in the past. One of his Facebook posts criticizes the notion that “5 million Jews” were murdered during WW2 (he doesn’t even get the number right), saying it’s a “hoax”.
In Sky’s case it’s quite evident that the same type of thinking that would lead him to deny the Holocaust is also at play when he lashes out at vaccinations and mask requirements.
Finally, we have the case of the couple that owns two Tuxedo restaurants that are located side by side: Tuxedo Village Family Restaurant and Monstrosity Burger. David Jones and Paulina Jojnowicz have been enmeshed in controversy for quite some time. Originally, it was their lashing out at the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020 that caught individuals’ attentions, when they posted “There are some trolls going around saying we are racist because we don’t’ agree with kissing black people’s feet (like promoted in BLM) to ‘prove’ we are not racist.”
On May 30, 2020, Dave Jones had posted this about the pandemic: “Not condoning violence or looting but this is what happens when you lie to and oppress the once Free People. We get fed up!! You will NOT steal our freedom with your fake Plandemic. Stop blaming Trump you imbeciles! MSM is behind the lies! Wake up!!!”
The two owners of the Tuxedo restaurants have now been hit with a total of $40,000 in fines for flouting public health orders. On the Monstrosity Burger Instagram page, they posted “This country is pathetic and we will lose every last bit of freedom if people dont (sic) stand up now”
To be fair, I haven’t seen anything that would lead one to suggest that Jones and Jojnowicz are antisemitic. What ties together all the characters I’ve referenced thus far, however, is a distrust of government, a willingness to enter into wild exaggeration, and a penchant for emotional outbursts on social media.
But, since there is a continuing series of stories about rising levels of anti-Semitism – many of which appear in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news feed on our website (jewishpostandnews.ca), and they have only grown of increasing concern parallel to the spread of the pandemic, it certainly leads one to wonder about the convergence of anti-vax conspiracy theories with other well-known conspiracy theories – among them antisemitic conspiracy theories.
It’s not difficult to make the case that the same kind of thinking that would dismiss scientific evidence about the overwhelming effective of vaccinations against Covid, along with other preventative measures, such as masking, hand washing and isolating Covid carriers, would also lead one to wander down the rabbit hole of antisemitic conspiracy theories as well. While there’s not a necessary correlation between being anti-vax and being antisemitic (there are plenty of Jews who embrace conspiracy theories about Covid themselves), there are enough indications that the same distrust of government and science which is the hallmark of the anti-vax movement also pervades right-wing antisemitism. The trumpeting of conspiracy theories about Jews controlling… and here you can fill in the blanks: the banks, the entertainment industry, or even big government itself, is so eerily similar to the arguments that governments have some insidious ulterior motives in wanting us to get vaccinated.
By now, we’ve become all too aware of the negative effects that social media have had on reasoned discussion of almost any issue. It doesn’t take much to incite fury among huge segments of the online world simply by railing against government, scientists, or the media. And once disinformation is spread, it’s terribly difficult to combat it effectively, no matter how much counter information might be offered in rebuttal.
Most of us are probably aware of at least one person within our circle of acquaintances who is an anti-vaxxer. I can’t say though that, of the individuals I do know who are anti-vaxxers, that any of them are antisemitic.
But, it is also easy to see how individuals who are susceptible to arguments against vaccination because they derive almost all their information either from ill-informed friends or family members, or from social media, could also be easily persuaded to believe mistruths about Jews or Israel, as the case may be.
Is there a way to combat this ongoing and growing trend to stop the spread of disinformation without clamping down on social media? I don’t see how, but at least in Winnipeg there is a concerted effort to attempt to expose individuals such as Shea Ritchie, David Jones, and Paulina Jojnowicz to scrutiny over their distortions when it comes to Covid. If we can make these purveyors of disinformation pay an economic price – which has been the case now with Chaise Lounge’s two locations and the two Tuxedo eateries, all of which have been found in violation of public health orders, perhaps others who have not been reticent to go public with their conspiracy theories may now think twice about being so open about voicing those theories – at least when it comes to Covid.
Sad to say though, while many anti-vaxxers harbour right wing sentiments that would lend them amenable to antisemitic views, viz Chris Sky, Chris Sky was arrested for defying orders about gathering in groups and for not properly quarantining, not for saying the Holocaust was a hoax. When it comes to combating antisemitism, the suggestion that what we need is more “educating” of the public, especially the online public, seems like so much pushing of Sisyphus’s proverbial rock up the hill – only to see it fall back down over and over again.
Local News
Is It Alberta’s Turn to Regulate Online Gambling? Looking at the Possibilities
Online gambling and betting in Canada is booming, with each province allowed to regulate its own space. Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, turned two this year after leading the way in April 2022. In what should motivate Alberta and other provinces, Ontario is already reaping the rewards, generating $100 million annually in gambling revenue. Will the local administration in Alberta do what is needed?
Talks have been rife that Alberta is considering going the Ontario way by having an open-licensing system. In July 2023, the minister for Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, issued a mandate to make this province a hub of online sports betting and gambling.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently asked Nally to cooperate with indigenous partners and other stakeholders to develop an online gaming strategy. The main focus will be on revenue generation and responsible gambling. In light of this, Nally said Alberta’s primary focus is becoming a “leading hub for iGaming” with streamlined regulations and low corporate taxes. Such conditions should position Alberta to become a leading iGaming destination.
A few weeks ago, the minister attended the ICE international gaming conference held in London. Together with Ontario’s Attorney General, Doug Downey, and other stakeholders, Nally participated in a roundtable discussion regarding the status of iGaming in Canada. CDC Gaming Reports also revealed that the discussion highlighted the success of iGaming in Ontario and how Alberta can emulate this success story.
Looking into the Alberta Budget 2024, it’s evident that state monopoly could soon give way to Canadian casinos to thrive in the province. Alberta took the first baby steps towards a more liberal gambling sector after setting aside $1 million for gambling. This budget will support the looming review of the Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Act and supporting Regulation. The idea is to review the entire regulatory framework to find more funding ways for Alberta charities and community projects.
Major operators like BetMGM, PointsBet, and PokerStars have since hired lobbyists to ensure commercial operators become a reality in Alberta. Speaking to investors and industry analysts in March this year, PointsBet CEO Sam Swanell tipped Alberta and British Columbia to legalize online betting soon. He noted that this could provide the much-needed expansion of that TAM.
Alberta is yet to take full advantage of online gambling despite being the country’s fourth-largest province, with around 4.3 million people. Smaller markets in North America, such as West Virginia and Connecticut, are already benefiting from commercialized online gambling. The good news is that noises about legal online gambling are getting louder in Alberta. It’s just a matter of when the government will make the announcement.
What Next for Online Gambling and Betting in Alberta?
Including a $1 million gambling review budget is definitely a step in the right direction. However, there’s still much to do to end Alberta’s long-standing gambling status quo. But at least the budget opens the door for further discussions and reforms regarding iGaming in Alberta. That discussion has been underway, although the momentum has increased in the last year or so.
As it stands, PlayAlberta.ca is the only regulated online gaming platform in Alberta. It’s a government-run website operated by the AGLC (Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis). Besides casino games, this website provides sports betting and lottery-style gaming experiences. The legal sign-up age on PlayAlberta.ca is 18 years.
For Albertans who prefer more gambling freedom, the government doesn’t restrict anyone from joining offshore operators. Most gaming sites operating in Alberta are licensed in Curacao, the UK, and Malta. Compared to PlayAlberta.ca, these websites provide a more extensive variety of games, rewards, and general experience.
In conclusion, it’s just a matter of when Alberta will introduce an open-licensing market. This approach has proved to be a success elsewhere, especially in Ontario. A recent Ipsos report in Ontario revealed that only 13.6% of the residents prefer to gamble on offshore websites. Alberta could soon follow this path, although there’s much work to do to realize this dream.
Opinion
Hamas savages make no distinction between Israeli Jews, Arabs
By MYRON LOVE I remember many years ago attending a presentation by Simon Wiesenthal, the world’s leading Nazi hunter, during which he made the point that the focus of Holocaust education should not be on the number six million – the number of estimated Jews who were murdered – but rather on the 12 million martyrs – including other targeted groups such as the Roma, people who were gay, the mentally and physically handicapped and the many great many Slavic people who were also murdered. After the Jews, the Slavs were next on the list.
By focusing strictly on Germans killing Jews, he observed, it became too easy to make it out to be only Germans versus Jews – thereby making it easier for Holocaust deniers and absolving the other European peoples who were complicit in the killings.
Similarly, while we naturally mourn our Jewish brethren who were so horribly slaughtered on October 7, we need to also bear in mind that Hamas made no distinction in its murderous rampage between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs or between Israelis and foreign workers.
In a posting for The Gatestone Institute on November 30, Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh noted that he Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 did not slaughter Jews alone. The terrorists also murdered and kidnapped scores of Muslim citizens of Israel, including members of the Bedouin community. The terrorists’ murder spree made zero distinction between young and old, Muslim and Jew.
“Scores of Arab Israelis were wounded, murdered or taken prisoner,” he reported.
One such brave individual was 23-year-old Awad Darawshe, an Arab-Israeli paramedic who was on duty at the music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, which was among the first locations under attack. When the medical staff on site were ordered to flee, he insisted on remaining behind to treat the wounded.
Abu Toameh suggests that the paramedic thought that because he was Arab, he could reason with the killers. He was murdered nonetheless.
Another courageous Arab-Israeli that the writer noted, 50-year-old Abed al-Rahman Alnasasrah, was murdered by Hamas terrorists when he attempted to rescue people from the music festival. He was married and a father of six children.
Fatima Altallaqat, 35, from the Bedouin village near Ofakim, was murdered while working with her husband near the city of Ofakim in southern Israel. She was a mother of nine children, the eldest nine years old.
Abu Toameh quotes her husband as saying: “We’re a religious Muslim family and she wore the traditional headdress of a devout woman. It is inconceivable they [Hamas terrorists] could not see who was inside [the car]. They were five meters away from her as they passed.”
Forty bullets were fired into her.
Abu Toameh further cites the comments of Suleiman Zayadneh, brother and uncle, respectively, to four of the Arab-Israeli hostages, who describes himself “as proud to be a Palestinian and Muslim”.
‘The people who came to shoot and kill — they know nothing of religion,” the writer quoted Zayadneh as saying. “These [Hamas] people came and killed left and right.”
Abu Toameh went on to reference the words of Nuseir Yassin, a video blogger with 65 million followers. Two days after the massacre, he wrote: “I realized that… to a terrorist invading Israel, all citizens are targets. More than 40 of them [the murdered] are Arabs. Killed by other Arabs. And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel…. So from today forward, I view myself as… Israeli first. Palestinian second. Sometimes it takes a shock like this to see so clearly.”
Abu Toameh reported that “there have been many storie about reciprocal inter-communal generosity and heroism in the aftermath of this national tragedy, and they create hope for the future”.
He quoted a statement by the Darwashe Family:
“We are very proud of Awad’s actions… This is what we would expect from him and what we expect from everyone in our family — to be human, to stay human and to die human.”
Abu Toameh also quoted Ali Alziadna, four of whose family members were kidnapped, as saying that he was “touched by the outpouring of support” by other Israelis.
“People from all over the country have come to hug and support our family,” Alziadna said. “The entire nation is one family now.”
Abu Toameh pointed out that many Arab citizens of Israel serve as IDF officers and policemen, risking their lives for their fellow Israelis. Many are serving at the front lines, saving lives.
Undoubtedly, Abu Toameh suggested, one of the objectives of the Hamas massacre, in addition to slaughtering as many Israelis as possible, was to thwart normalization between Israel and Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Hamas may also have aimed to damage relations between Jews and Arabs inside Israel.
”The terror group was, without doubt, hoping that we would witness another cycle of violence between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, similar to that which erupted in May 2021,’ Abu Toameh posited. “Then, Hamas succeeded in inciting a large number of Arab citizens of Israel to take to the streets and attack their Jewish neighbors and Israeli police officers.
“This time, however, the Arab-Israelis have not heeded the calls by Hamas. One reason is that Arab-Israelis saw, with their own eyes, how Hamas terrorists make no distinction between Jews and Muslims.
“Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated that it cares nothing for the well-being of Arabs and Muslims. From their luxury homes and hotel rooms in the safety of Qatar and Turkey, Hamas leaders give the orders to attack Israel and then sit back and let the world weep over the destruction they wrought upon their own people.
“On October 7,” Abu Toameh concluded, “Hamas metaphorically shot itself in the foot by showing the world, with unfathomably ghoulish pride, by way of Go-Pro cameras and other self-documentation, that it has neither a religious nor a secular-humanist set of values. Perhaps the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should look at the Arab citizens of Israel and note how they enjoy equal rights, democracy, freedom of speech and a free media. If Palestinians wish to live well, like the Arab-Israelis, this is the time for them to get rid of Hamas and all the terror leaders who, for seven decades, have brought them nothing but one disaster after another.”
It is too bad that so many gullible fools in our Western societies refuse to open their eyes to the truth.
Opinion
An Arab Trusteeship Council for Gaza
By Prof. BRYAN SCHWARTZ Oct. 17, 2023 (Originally posted to The Times of Israel)
1 No peace is possible with Hamas. It is genocidally antisemitic. This position is foundational, not rhetorical or mutable. Waiting for the emergence of a “pragmatic” version of Hamas is suicidally naïve.
2 Peace and cooperation are possible with most of Israel’s non-Iranian neighbours. They are militarily threatened by Iran, not Israel. For many in those countries, Iran’s version of Islam might be more problematic from the religious perspective than Israel’s Jewishness.
3 Hamas’ attack was partly to prevent a Saudi deal and a long-term economic cooperation
4 Israel has no territorial claim to Gaza and no material, religious, or ideological interest in running it.
5 Israel has vital moral and material interests in the emergence of a peaceful, demilitarized, and prosperous Gaza. If that can occur in the medium term, a long-term reconciliation of the Palestinians with Israel is achievable.
6 As and when Hamas is evicted from power, Gaza will need some new form of government.
7 The Palestinian authority probably cannot be trusted to take over Gaza. It is corrupt and lacked- and probably still lacks- credibility with a majority of the population in Gaza.
8 There used to be a concept called trusteeship in international law, whereby foreign powers would govern a territory in its best interests until its final status is clarified at the wishes of its own people.
9 The United Nations cannot be trusted to administer Gaza – any more than it has shown to be trustworthy to maintain strategic security in Southern Lebanon or to operate UNWRA in a manner that is effective for Palestinians and not hostile to Israel.
10 Consider this alternative. After Hamas is evicted from power, there is an interim period- say five to seven to ten years -of governance over Gaza by an Arab trusteeship council. The Council members are appointed primarily by Arab states sympathetic to Israel and eager to see the people of Gaza thrive. This Council could include local Gaza representatives and a representative of the Palestinian Authority but the majority would be representative of states like Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
11 The trusteeship agreement would be formal, agreed to by Israel, and unequivocally state its objectives, including:
-demilitarizing Gaza;
-defining the sole purposes for which outside reconstruction and development money can be spent and requiring strict accounting
-ensuring that the education system in Gaza is not contaminated by antisemitic hatred;
-promoting sound administration of Gaza, including providing for transparent and non-corrupt government, with significant safeguards for human rights, and conformity to the rule of law;
-promoting the development of a real economy for Gaza, not one fuelled primarily by international subsidies.
13 No state could participate in the Council without having a peace agreement with Israel.
14 In fact, the creation of the Council and Saudi participation in it could be part of a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. The deal could involve a reconstruction package from the Saudis for Gaza, which would help secure the support of the people of Gaza for the Council arrangement as an interim measure.
15 Policing would be carried out by a force composed of Palestinians and members of the police forces of Trusteeship states, under the direction of the Council.
16 The net effect would be to remove Gaza from Iran’s influence and establish temporary control by a consortium of mostly Sunni states. The latter would be chosen from among those that are at least reasonably friendly to Israel and genuinely committed to good governance in Gaza.
17 The definitive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict can only be achieved in a series of steps. Compromises are even more painful if they are framed as permanent. But if practical peace, stability, and some prosperity can be achieved in the medium term in Gaza and the West Bank, an amicable and enduring resolution should be achievable with the Palestinians.
18 While Israel is under severe military menace right now, it is not too early to think about how a positive political outcome can be achieved after the necessary and painful battle is concluded.
19 The current catastrophe is a so-far successful attempt by the regime in Teheran to disrupt peace negotiations involving Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. Political vision along with military force might enable Israel to turn around the situation and complete and consolidate a lasting peace with almost all of its Arab neighbours and to set the stage for a formal and enduring peace with the Palestinians. The Teheran regime would be isolated, diminished in prestige, and more likely to be replaced from within.
About the Author
Bryan’s Jewish-themed musical “Consoulation: A Musical Mediation” premiered in the Spring of of 2018; https://consoulation.com His new album will appear in the coming months. Bryan Schwartz graduated with a doctorate in law from Yale School and holds an endowed chair at the University of Manitoba Law School. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and collections of essays. Bryan also created and helps to deliver an annual summer program at Hebrew University in Israeli law and society. He has served as a visiting Professor at both HU and Reichman university. . As a practising lawyer, Bryan has argued a number of cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, advised governments, and served as an arbitrator at the provincial, national and international level.
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