A commentary by a Victoria council member.
Let me be clear: I do not endorse the original behaviour of my fellow city councillor, Susan Kim. I feel it has caused great harm within our city and to our city.
On Monday I told one reporter I was waiting to hear from Kim as there is so much misinformation online. Originally, Kim confirmed she was one of only two Canadian elected officials to endorse the disturbing open letter entitled, “Stand with Palestine: Call on Political Leaders to End Their Complicity in Genocide!”
And in her statement, Kim stated her only regret is “how this matter has polarized our community.” With that statement, she felt she had nothing to apologize for.
Asking for a ceasefire seems like a reasonable request and a temporary one is in the works. Who doesn’t want the death of innocent people to come to an end and hostages released?
However, people need to remember it was the terrorist organization Hamas which broke the long-standing ceasefire when on Oct. 7, they brutally killed about 1,200 Israelis and have kidnapped 240 others.
After hearing from so many people in our community, Kim has subsequently given what appears to me to be an unconditional apology and for that I am very pleased. I would still like to address the problems with this open letter and express my support for Jews in our community.
The letter Kim initially endorsed starts with the undersigned saying they “reside in so-called Canada” that’s a clue you’re signing up for wing-nut thinking. Kim attended the Global Korean Politicians Forum this month. When asked by Korean border officials which country she resides, I’m pretty sure she didn’t say “So-called Canada.”
When the letter states that sexual violence was “unverified,” it’s as if they are pleading the case for Hamas and excusing the horrendous slaughter Hamas unleashed on innocent Jews in Israel.
There was no mention of the unthinkable crimes unleashed by Hamas, and yet Kim signed on anyway. I still can’t find words to describe how I feel when the letter refers to the slaughter as “Palestinian resistance.”
My work expertise is in the field of human rights. Mostly, it involves workplace human rights, but I’ve authored three books on the subject and my passion involves speaking up against discrimination in all forms.
My coming out as a gay man to myself and my community in my late 20s was part of my education, but I know my understanding of discrimination and hate started years before that.
Despite Winnipeg’s large Jewish community, I didn’t know a lot of Jews until high school. Then attending the University of Manitoba, I befriended a number of Jewish classmates where I learned much more about Judaism and the Jewish faith.
As a result, when I made a trip to Poland in 1984, I made sure to visit the extermination camp, Auschwitz. Bar none, outside of personal tragedy, it was the most moving experience in my life. If I didn’t know it before, I knew it right then — I am an ally for Jews. Full stop.
As a result, I completely understood the importance of the phrase “never again” and the reason Jews, Jewish organizations and Israeli governments must pounce on any form of antisemitism and violence perpetrated against Jews.
I also support unequivocally the homeland for Jews in Israel. And here in Victoria, I want to ensure our Jewish friends and neighbours do not feel the sting of antisemitism that has been on the rise in our country and around the world.
In the same way, I know that Islamophobia is on the rise and I continue to support our Muslim friends and neighbours.
Words matter and I think Kim realizes we all have to be careful the words we use. From my perspective, this letter added to the hate we see spreading around the world, pitting people against one another.
If we don’t speak up each and every time, we risk going back to a time where discrimination is encoded in our laws and violence is unleashed on certain people, merely because some “leaders” point their fingers at people they don’t like.
I am pleased that Kim has realized the error of her ways and the harm her actions had on so many people in our city.
I want to reiterate my need to speak up emphatically to say that letter, for those who still sign onto it, is horrendous and I would never endorse anything like it.
I want Jews in Victoria and around the world to know that another Victoria city councillor condemns that letter and the actions Kim took to endorse it.
