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Carleton University faces backlash for employing professor convicted in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing
Carleton University is under significant scrutiny from Israeli universities and Jewish advocacy groups for employing Hassan Diab, a professor convicted in absentia by a French court for a 1980 synagogue bombing in Paris that killed four people and injured 46.
Diab, 71, who has taught at Ottawa’s Carleton University since 2006, is currently teaching a class on social justice in the university’s sociology department.
In November, a letter signed by all nine of Israel’s public research universities, coordinated through the Association of University Heads of Israel, called on Carleton to immediately terminate Diab’s employment, describing the hiring decision as a betrayal of academic values and a failure to uphold justice.
“While we respect Carleton’s commitment to social justice and diversity, the continued employment of an instructor convicted of multiple murders by the judicial system of a democratic nation raises profound questions about the university’s values,” the letter states.
“How can an institution dedicated to instilling moral principles in its students justify appointing someone convicted of such serious crimes to a teaching position? While we fully support academic freedom and the expression of diverse viewpoints, these principles do not extend to employing individuals convicted of hate-motivated acts of terror.”
The letter emphasizes the obligation of academic institutions to ensure their hiring practices reflect the values of justice and accountability, saying that the hiring decision crosses a “clear ethical line.”
The letter, signed by presidents of Israeli universities such as University of Haifa, Tel Aviv University, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, emphasizes the obligation of academic institutions to ensure their hiring practices reflect the values of justice and accountability, saying that the hiring decision crosses a “clear ethical line.”
The Canadian Jewish News emailed the communications office of Carleton University for comment about Diab’s employment and the letter, but did not receive a response.
The Rue Copernic bombing
The Rue Copernic bombing occurred on Oct. 3, 1980, when a bomb exploded outside the synagogue during Shabbat services. The attack killed four people, including Israeli television producer Aliza Shagrir, and injured 46 others.
French authorities attributed the bombing to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group and terrorist organization. Diab, a Lebanese-Canadian citizen, was identified as a suspect decades later and extradited to France in 2014. He spent three years in jail, awaiting trial.
In 2018, French courts released Diab, citing insufficient evidence. However, prosecutors reopened the case, and in 2023, Diab was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Diab has denied involvement, maintaining that he was in Lebanon at the time of the attack. His defense team has argued that evidence used against him, including handwriting analysis, is unreliable.
Students demand answers
One student at Carleton, involved with Jewish advocacy on campus who chose to remain anonymous, said that the university’s lack of transparency on this issue has left students feeling frustrated and disappointed.
“We deserve, at the very minimum, an explanation as to how the employment decision was made and why it was deemed appropriate considering his conviction in absentia in France.”
As a member of the Jewish community on campus, he said the situation is deeply troubling. “The Jewish community deserves better. There’s been a lid put on this, and it seems like there’s little accountability.
“Time and time again, it feels like Jewish students are left to fight these battles alone. We deserve better, he said. “When it comes to (protecting) the Jewish community, there always seems to be a higher burden of proof required for things to be taken seriously.”
CIJA calls for accountability
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has also been outspoken in its criticism of Carleton’s decision, describing it as a failure of institutional responsibility and a dangerous precedent for Canadian academia. In a statement sent to The Canadian Jewish News, Judy Zelikovitz, vice-president of university and local partner services, emphasized the broader implications of Carleton’s choices.
“The incident at Carleton University highlights a glaring oversight: the lack of effective background checks at institutions of higher education,” Zelikovitz wrote. “While Canadian universities claim to prioritize the safety and well-being of their faculty, staff, and students by implementing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies, the absence of rigorous vetting for educators undermines these commitments.”
CIJA also pointed to concerns about how Diab’s employment affects the accessibility of education for students. “A classroom environment cannot reasonably be considered accessible to those who oppose terrorism if an individual with a conviction in a democratic state is present,” Zelikovitz said.
She also called for a stronger approach to academic hiring practices, arguing that academic freedom must come with responsibilities. “Ensuring rigorous evaluations of proposed curriculum content and upholding academic integrity must be a standard practice in all academic institutions,” she wrote.
On behalf of CIJA, Zelikovitz demanded immediate action, urging Carleton to terminate Diab’s employment and for the Canadian government to act on France’s extradition request.
“We call on Carleton University to immediately sever its relationship with Hassan Diab and to ensure no other academic institution offers him a position. Furthermore, CIJA urges the Canadian government to respond promptly to France’s request for Diab’s extradition. It is imperative that our educational institutions and government leaders prioritize safety, accountability, and justice in their decisions.”
Condemnation from B’nai Brith
B’nai Brith Canada has been vocal as well in its opposition to Carleton’s decision to employ Diab. In a post on social media, the organization wrote:
“Despite being handed a life sentence by a French court, Hassan Diab continues to live freely in Canada, while Carleton University, unconscionably, continues to allow him the privilege of teaching at a Canadian institution.”
B’nai Brith Canada added that Canadians “cannot stand by while a convicted terrorist, affiliated with a listed terrorist group, teaches on our campuses! The university has ignored B’nai Brith’s formal request to terminate his position, allowing Diab to remain in a position of authority over students.”
B’nai Brith says Carleton’s employment of Diab “not only presents a danger to the well-being of its students, but it is an insult to the memory of the innocent victims of his heinous crime and an affront to all Canadians who value law and order.”
B’nai Brith Canada has intensified its opposition to Hassan Diab’s employment through launching a public letter-writing campaign on its website. The campaign, addressed to Jerry Tomberlin, interim president and vice-chancellor of Carleton, calls for the immediate removal of Diab and highlights concerns over Carleton’s decision to retain Diab as a professor.
The letter further criticizes Carleton for ignoring its previous formal requests to terminate Diab’s employment, raising inquiries about the university’s commitment to ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment.
Support for Hassan Diab
While Hassan Diab’s employment at Carleton has drawn significant criticism, he has also received support from advocacy groups, academics, and members of his department. Supporters argue that he has been unfairly targeted and that his conviction in absentia by a French court lacks credible evidence.
The Hassan Diab Support Committee, which has campaigned on his behalf for over a decade, describes the accusations against him as a miscarriage of justice.
“Dr. Diab is a victim of wrongful allegations based on discredited evidence and unfair legal proceedings,” the committee states on its website. They also highlight that Canada’s courts previously deemed the evidence insufficient to justify his extradition to France in 2018.
Carleton’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology has publicly defended Diab in the past. In a 2021 statement, department chair Blair Rutherford expressed solidarity with Diab, calling the French court’s decision to pursue a trial “shocking” and based on “discredited evidence.” The department further urged the academic community to support Diab against what they described as an unjust prosecution.
In November 2022, the department promoted a rally calling on the Canadian government to protect Diab from what they described as “baseless prosecution” and to reject further extradition requests. The event was attended by supporters advocating for academic freedom and justice for Diab.
Supporters also argue that employing Diab reflects Carleton’s commitment to inclusivity and the presumption of innocence. “Dr. Diab’s return to teaching is an important step in restoring his career and reputation after years of legal persecution,” wrote one supporter on a public forum.
Calls for accountability
Israeli officials have also expressed dismay with Carleton’s hiring decision. Idit Shamir, Israel’s consul general in Toronto, described the university’s decision as “unconscionable,” highlighting her personal connection to the terrorist attack that Diab faced conviction for.
“[T]he terrorist who murdered my friend’s mother, Aliza Shagrir, before his eyes in the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing still lectures at Canada’s @Carleton_U,” Shamir posted on social media in November. “A French court gave him life for murdering four souls and maiming 46. Yet Carleton University rewards him with a teaching position?”
“Every class this convicted terrorist teaches dishonors the lives he destroyed,” Shamir added. “This isn’t just a failure of justice—it’s spitting on the graves of Jewish victims. Shame on those who enable this.”
The post Carleton University faces backlash for employing professor convicted in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Amid Rising Antisemitism, American Jews Make Aliyah to Israel Seeking Safety, Community, Impact
Olim gather at JFK Airport in New York, preparing to board Nefesh B’Nefesh’s 65th charter flight to Israel. Photo: The Algemeiner
NEW YORK/TEL AVIV — Confronted with rising antisemitism and unease in the United States, a growing number of American Jews are choosing to make aliyah, embracing the risks of war in the Middle East for the chance to build new lives and foster meaningful communities.
On Wednesday, 225 new olim arrived in Tel Aviv on the first charter aliyah flight since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Aliyah refers to the process of Jews immigrating to Israel, and olim refers to those who make this journey.
Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) — a nonprofit that promotes and facilitates aliyah from the US and Canada — brought its 65th charter flight from New York, which The Algemeiner joined.
Founded in 2002, NBN helps olim become fully integrated members of Israeli society, simplifying the aliyah process and providing essential resources and guidance.
In partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth, and the Jewish National Fund, NBN has helped nearly 100,000 olim build thriving new lives in Israel.
Shawn Fink is one of the 225 people who embarked on the life-changing journey earlier this week, leaving Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, Liz, and their son.
For Fink and his family, making aliyah was driven not only by their love for Israel and desire to build a new community, but also by the escalating threats and uncertainties facing Jewish communities abroad since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
“Mostly, we were frustrated with the direction the United States is taking, and the rise in antisemitism was a major concern for us,” Fink told The Algemeiner.
Like many countries around the world, the US has seen an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Oct. 7 atrocities.
According to the latest data issued by the FBI, hate crimes perpetrated against Jews increased by 5.8 percent in 2024 to 1,938, the largest total recorded in over 30 years of the federal agency’s counting them.
A striking 69 percent of all religion-based hate crimes that were reported to the FBI in 2024 targeted Jews, who constitute just 2 percent of the US population, with 2,041 out of 2,942 total such incidents being antisemitic in nature. Muslims were targeted the next highest amount as the victims of 256 offenses, or about 9 percent of the total.
Fink explained that the increasing costs of living a Jewish life in the US — from education to kosher food — weighed heavily on his family’s decision to make the move to Israel.
While they first considered making aliyah five years ago, Fink and his family had to put the plans on hold for personal reasons — returning to the idea only in the past few months when the timing finally worked in their favor.
“We started planning it seriously in November and began the entire process with Nefesh B’Nefesh,” Fink told The Algemeiner. “It’s been a nonstop whirlwind ever since.”
For them, the current war did not stop their plans, but it did influence the cities they explored for their new home.
“The war really reinforced for us the importance of supporting Israel and our community,” Fink said. “By making aliyah, we felt we could do even more to help.”
Even though it is difficult to leave behind family and close friends, they look forward to reconnecting with friends in Israel, making new connections, and building a vibrant new community.
“Making aliyah in less than six months has been a whirlwind. I’d encourage anyone considering it to give themselves at least twice as much time, double the budget, and be prepared for plenty of unexpected starts and stops along the way,” Fink told The Algemeiner.
Nefesh B’Nefesh provides assistance to families throughout their entire aliyah journey, offering guidance before relocating and continued support once in Israel.
The Israeli government also complements these efforts with resources and financial incentives to help newcomers settle and ease their transition into their new lives.
“Once the ticket is finally in your hand and you’re waiting to board the plane, you realize that all the challenges and obstacles along the way were worth it,” Fink said.
Veronica Zaragovia was also one of the 225 olim who joined the flight earlier this week.
Similarly to Fink and his family, Zaragovia decided to make aliyah, driven not just by her love for Israel, but also by the increasing challenges of being Jewish abroad and the hope of making a meaningful impact by serving her community.
From Florida, she embarked on the journey alone, excited for all the new opportunities and possibilities that awaited her in her new home.
“I want to take pride in being Jewish and in Israel — that’s why I’m making aliyah,” she told The Algemeiner, reflecting on the move she has been planning for the past two years.
“It’s a huge concern for me that in some places in the US, I can’t — or maybe shouldn’t — wear my Star of David necklace,” she said. “I don’t feel that Jews can be fully safe anywhere in the country. The rise in antisemitism has been truly shocking and deeply concerning.”
Zaragovia, who worked as a journalist in the US, said her love for storytelling and uncovering the truth played a key role in her decision to make this move.
“After Oct. 7, I felt that the way my colleagues and other journalists were covering Israel was wrong and unfair,” she said.
“As someone whose career is built on facts and truth, I didn’t see that reflected in their reporting. That’s why I decided to make a difference by being there myself,” she continued.
Rather than deterring her decision to make a change, Zaragovia explained that the current war only reinforced it.
“It became clear that I needed to go, be there with my people, and make a difference through my work,” she said. “I couldn’t have done this without Nefesh B’Nefesh. They’ve been incredible, guiding me every step of the way from start to finish.”
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Mike Huckabee, Israeli Government Push Back Against Claims of ‘Famine’ in Gaza
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Israeli government and the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, are pushing back against international criticism after a UN-backed authority declared a famine is taking place in Gaza.
“To the uninformed who claim Israel is starving Gaza, get the facts & read the thread below,” Huckabee said on X on Friday. “Tons of food has gone into Gaza but Hamas savages stole it, ate lots of it to become corpulent, sold it on [the] black market but they didn’t give it to the hostages.”
His comments came hours after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global body that monitors hunger crises, reported that famine thresholds had been met in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with more than half a million people already experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger. The IPC warned that the number could rise to 641,000 by the end of September if conditions do not improve.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a post on X, dismissed the IPC’s conclusions as “an outright lie,” insisting Israel “does not have a policy of starvation” but rather “a policy of preventing starvation.” Israeli officials note that thousands of aid trucks have entered Gaza and blame the ruling Hamas terror group for diverting supplies.
Huckabee’s remarks echoed that position, framing the Islamist group as the central cause of hunger. Israeli leaders and their allies accuse Hamas of stealing food, hoarding aid, and reselling goods on the black market at inflated prices instead of distributing them to civilians or releasing Israeli hostages.
The United States and Israel set up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) earlier this year to coordinate aid deliveries outside of UN channels, after accusing Hamas of exploiting international assistance. The group says it delivers more than a million meals a day, but humanitarian organizations counter that the aid falls far short of what is needed.
Distribution sites have often descended into chaos, with starving crowds surging around convoys. Human rights groups have described the alleged famine as a “man-made catastrophe” and accused Israel of weaponizing hunger.
Israel recently increased the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, after imposing a temporary embargo in an effort to keep them out of the hands of Hamas. While facilitating the entry of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, Israeli officials have condemned the UN and other international aid agencies for their alleged failure to distribute supplies, noting much of the humanitarian assistance has been stalled at border crossings or stolen. According to UN data, the vast majority of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is intercepted before reaching its intended civilian recipients.
Last week, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) released a report saying that Hamas has been inflating the death toll of Palestinians due to malnutrition and that most of those verified to have died had preexisting medical conditions.
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Italian Hospital Staff Discard Israeli-Made Medicine as Concerns Mount Globally of Antisemitism in Health Care
In Italy, Dr. Rita Segantini and nurse Giulia Checcacci throw products of the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical in the garbage in protest against Israel. Photo: Screenshot
Two medical workers in Italy filmed themselves discarding Israeli-made medicine in protest against the Jewish state at their workplace, fueling global concerns of antisemitism in health-care facilities as a doctor in the United Kingdom who praised Adolf Hitler was allowed back to work this month.
A doctor and a nurse who work at a community hospital in Pratovecchio Stia, near Arezzo in Tuscany, recently posted on social media a video of themselves dramatically throwing away products from Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli company.
Italy
Throwing Israeli drugs in the binAt the Casa della Salute in Pratovecchio Stia, two public employees – Dr. Rita Segantini and nurse Giulia Checcacci – film themselves throwing away drugs manufactured by TEVA.pic.twitter.com/nQhc3TIQT3
— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) August 20, 2025
Dr. Daniel Radzik, a senior member of the Italian Jewish Medical Association, told Ynetnews that his organization is “very concerned about the event.”
“It’s evident that this act was not accidental, but carried out with the intention of encouraging the boycott of medicines produced in Israel,” he added.
Dr. Rita Segantini and nurse Giulia Checcacci apologized for the video following backlash, saying, “We apologize to anyone offended by the video. It was a symbolic gesture for peace. We did not actually throw away any medicine.”
In Italy, Dr. Rita Segantini and nurse Giulia Checcacci throw products of the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical in the garbage in protest of Israel. Photo: Screenshot
However, the Italian Jewish Medical Association was skeptical of the apology.
“They tried to explain in a very naive way. Because they say that their act was only symbolic, made for peace and that the medicine was only integrator and they don’t want really to throw them to the rubbish,” Radzik said.
The doctor and nurse claimed the items were not medications purchased by the hospital, but rather items such as wet wipes that are given out for free, and that they removed them from the trash after filming. Additionally, they claimed the video was filmed after working hours.
Meanwhile, a doctor in the UK was allowed to return to work this month after praising Hitler during an antisemitic rant and making racist comments about a colleague.
“All this antisemitism … if Hitler was around today, I would support him as he got rid of horrible f—kers like him,” Dr. Mili Shah said in reference to a colleague in 2021, according to British media.
In response, Shah was reportedly suspended for four months. However, a review by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in July concluded Shah, who is no longer employed by NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, is fit to return to work.
These recent incidents come as concerns mount globally over antisemitism in health-care spaces, with Jews feeling unsafe due to medical professionals expressing antisemitism or even outright death threats against Israelis.
In the UK, for example, the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH Trust) issued an apology this past week following a patient’s complaints about the placement of anti-Israel posters at a facility. These posters — which read “Zionism is Poison,” called for a “Free Palestine,” and accused Israel of wantonly starving and killing Palestinians — led a patient to reach out to the group UK Lawyers for Israel, expressing fear of receiving subpar treatment if the hospital staff discovered she was Jewish. The chief executive of UCLH Trust released a statement apologizing for the posters.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, midwife Fatimah Mohamied, who resigned from her position after UKLFI highlighted her anti-Israel social media posts, has now filed a claim against Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, alleging a violation of her rights. Mohamied’s posts included her defending and celebrating the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion and massacre across southern Israel.
Other Western countries have seen health-care providers’ antipathy toward Israel manifest as violent threats.
In the Netherlands, police opened an investigation into Batisma Chayat Sa’id, a nurse who allegedly stated she would administer lethal injections to Israeli patients.
Although Sa’id denied making the comments, claiming someone was “pretending to be me,” an account under her name also posted threatening messages aimed at Jewish people last year, including “Your time will come — don’t spare anyone,” and another in which she described the burial of Israelis in Gaza as “a dream come true.”
The nurse’s alleged threat mirrors a similar incident in Australia, in which video showed two nurses — Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh — posing as doctors and making inflammatory statements. The widely circulated footage showed Abu Lebdeh declaring she would refuse to treat Israeli patients and instead kill them, while Nadir made a throat-slitting gesture and claimed he had already killed many.
“Now they actually brag online about killing Israeli patients,” Shira Nussdorf, a US-born Jewish woman who moved from Israel to Australia six years ago, told The Algemeiner earlier this year when the video first emerged. “I don’t know how safe I would feel giving birth at that hospital.”
Following the incident, New South Wales authorities in Australia suspended their nursing registrations and banned them from working as nurses nationwide. They were also charged with federal offenses, including threatening violence against a group and using a carriage service to threaten, menace, and harass. If convicted, they face up to 22 years in prison.
The issue of antisemitism in medical facilities also extends to North America.
A December 2024 study by the Data & Analytics Department of StandWithUs, a Jewish civil rights group, found that 40 percent of 645 Jewish American health-care professionals surveyed reported experiencing antisemitism in the workplace. A similar study of Canadian Jewish health workers conducted last year reached 80 percent.