On April 8, 2019 Robert Walker, Executive Director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada, issued the following statement:
“Hasbara Fellowships Canada Receives Hundreds of Anti-Semitic Hate Messages in 24 Hours
Dear friends,
“It’s nothing newsworthy to any of us that Jew-hatred is neither new, nor is it disappearing any time soon. But sometimes the intensity and depth can be shocking nonetheless.
“This past Friday, students at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario reached out to our team at Hasbara Fellowships Canada, after having discovered graffiti on the sidewalk that read “The Goyim Know,” alongside a Star of David. The Goyim Know is a favourite anti-Semitic trope that claims Jews wield secret power over banks, the media, etc.
“A student reported the graffiti to campus police, and the university swiftly condemned it and it was removed. When Hasbara Fellowships Canada posted the photo along with an update on Friday afternoon, it immediately took off on social media. By Saturday night, our post had reached more than 43,000 people, but shockingly, it had also attracted nearly 800 brutally anti-semitic comments, many of which were calling for a second Holocaust against the Jewish people.
“We don’t send out an email every time our Hasbara Fellowships Canada team receives anti-semitic and anti-Israel hate mail – we receive it on more than a weekly basis – but receiving literally hundreds of Facebook posts and emails within a single day serves as a stark reminder that there remains a virulent strain of Jew-hatred that exists in many dark corners, and we must remain both vigilant and proactive.
“We applaud Queen’s University for their quick response, and we encourage all students, Queen’s alumni and community members at large to stay vigilant, encourage pro-Israel students to get involved (either in high schools by contacting our High School Advisor Pearl Kraft at pkraft@hasbarafellowships.org, our Campus Advisor Yesy Gilels at ygilels@hasbarafellowships.org, or for community programs, our Outreach Coordinator Lauren Isaacs at lisaacs@hasbarafellowships.org).
“This is also a brutal reminder that while we may be seeing more successes than ever before, there has never been more to do than now. Hasbara Fellowships Canada needs to hire more social media interns, more Hasbara Fellows going to Israel for training, more resources provided to students on campus, and more.
“As the holiday of Passover approaches, when the Jewish people left slavery in genocidal Egypt, there remain people who wish to inflict the same harm today. Please consider any level of support goes a long way to fighting back against these primitive haters. Donations can be made HERE.
“Thank you!
Robert Walker
Executive Director
Hasbara Fellowships Canada”
To see some of the messages sent to Hasbara Fellowships Canada click here.
