Segacs's World I Know

Posts Tagged ‘yom haatzmaut’

Unfortunately I missed today’s mega-solidarity rally due to work overload and a nasty cold. But thousands of people made it downtown to wave the blue and white and cheer 57 years of Israeli independence.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Today is the American Jewish community’s 350th “Arrival Day”, a cultural holiday celebrating the arrival of the first group of Jewish people to North America.

Jonathan’s Blogburst on the subject has a number of thought-provoking posts on the theme of the future of the Jewish community in America. So I figured that today would be a good opportunity to put a few of my own thoughts to paper (or to screen, as it were) on the subject of the Jewish community in Montreal. Most of what I will say in this post is not politically-correct. But if you want political correctness, go read a different blog.

I am a fourth-generation Montrealer, I consider myself thoroughly Canadian… but most definately not thoroughly (or even partially) Quebecoise. Sure, I live in Quebec, but Quebecois is less about location and more about culture… and the Quebecois culture has never been particularly welcoming to Jews – especially anglophone Jews.

From the overt antisemitism of Quebecois figures such as Lionel Groulx, to the WWII conscription crisis and identification of Quebec with fascism, the history of this province is rife with antisemitism. The people here will be extremely offended if you bring it up or call attention to what has become one of Quebec history’s dirty little secrets… as historian Esther Delisle found out the hard way.

Things are changing. Montreal is a truly multicultural city, and many of the barriers faced by Jews until midway through last century have disappeared. But Quebec society – especially outside Montreal – continues to be relatively closed compared to the rest of North America. As Jacques Parizeau’s comments on the evening of the 1995 referendum defeat told us, we will always be considered part of the “money and the ethnic vote” that most Quebecois nationalists feel keep costing them their dream of self-determination. Quebec continues to have the highest rate of antisemitic incidents in Canada. This narrow-minded attitude creeps up now and again, as a reminder that, despite their outward facade, many Quebecois politicians and leaders have not truly overcome this antisemitism. The bottom line is, we will never be “pure laine” enough to truly fit in here. And there’s still a long way to go before that will truly change.

The Montreal Jewish community, too, is changing, though. More anglophone Jews are making the move down the 401 to Toronto, or to the United States, resulting in a shrinking, aging community. Partially compensating for this is the leaps-and-bounds growth of the francophone Sephardic Jewish community, which is young and dynamic and is changing the face of Montreal Jewry.

Antisemitism is coming from new directions now, too. Mirroring the worldwide trend, much of it is originating from the growing Arab and Muslim communities, especially on university campuses where the traditional student Left has adopted the Palestinian cause. Incidents such as last April’s UTT firebombing remind us that we must be ever vigilent.

Despite all of that, I love living here. This is a great community with lots to offer. I’m a proud Canadian and I love my country, and I’m a proud Montrealer and I love my city. We grumble about how small the community is and how everyone knows everyone else, but in a way, that too is kind of nice. With over 90,000 members, the community is certainly still large and vibrant, and is one of the least culturally-assimilated Jewish communities in all of North America (with the exception of the ultra-Orthodox). During community-wide events like the March to Jerusalem or the Yom Ha’atzmaut parades, we can really see the strength of the community, but its backbone are the people who volunteer tirelessly to keep things running and strong.

Happy arrival day to our US neighbours. Today, as all days, I’m very proud of my identity as a Canadian, Montrealer, and Jew.

Today is Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Israeli Independence Day.

In Israel and in Jewish communities around the world, the blue and white will be displayed prominently as everyone celebrates.

For the first time this year, I unfortunately won’t be able to make it to the Israel Solidarity Rally taking place this morning in Montreal. Work obligations, you know. It’s disappointing because the last couple of years were incredible, and I would’ve liked to go today. If you’re reading this and would like to go, there’s still time – it’s starting at 11am at Phillips Square, and there are free busses from all the major departure points.

In the meantime, I’d like to share the words of President Moshe Katsav on the occasion of the 56th Yom Ha’Atzmaut:

Message to the Jewish Communities from the President of the state of Israel Mr. Moshe Katsav on the Occasion of the state of Israel’s 56th Independence Day

Dear Friends,

On the 56th anniversary of the State of Israel, we are proud of our achievements, despite the difficulties and the obstacles which the Jewish State has faced. The State of Israel is a leading country in the fields of science, technology, medicine and agriculture and we serve as an example to many nations. Israel’s democracy is strong. We have absorbed millions of new immigrants from all over the world, some of whom arrived without any possessions, and we provided all with housing, education, social security and health care. The citizens of Israel still suffer from brutal terrorism, but Israeli society maintains its strength and vitality and the State of Israel continues to flourish as a modern, Jewish and democratic country.

The security situation in Israel, along with global macroeconomic fluctuations, has been detrimental to Israel’s economy in the last few years. However, we are already witnessing signs of recovery. Israel’s economy is based on strong foundations which will lead to growth. We have undertaken to protect the weaker strata of society, as befits the values of a well-ordered state.

I feel greater unity among the Jewish people in Israel. I sense the solidarity of the Jewish communities abroad toward Israel. The numerous visits of community leaders and representatives and those of young Jewish students, strengthen us and enrich the relations between us and the mutual dialogue which characterizes the relations between Israel and the Jewish People in the Diaspora.

Fifty-six years after the regaining of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, despite the anger, disappointments and frustration of the last years, Israeli society remains united, determined and full of belief in our ongoing search for a just peace with our neighbors.

I wish the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora a happy Independence Day on which we look forward to the continued realization of the sovereign aims of the State of Israel and the realization of the dreams and prayers of the Jewish People in every generation.

I will be proudly singing Hatikva and wearing blue and white today. With so much to mourn, it’s all the more necessary to celebrate.

Update: Shai has a great list of 56 things that give Israel its unique character (via Harry).

As expected, the news coverage of yesterday’s rally focused on the minuscule number of counter-demonstrators who, despite being vastly outnumbered and not affecting the rally, decided to show up to steal the spotlight.

The Gazette lead with the front-page headline “Pro-Israel Rally Targeted”, which was about as misleading as the photo of the maybe dozen counter-demonstrators surrounded by riot police. La Presse had better coverage, with a large photo of a boy draped in an Israeli flag and the headline “15 000 Juifs de Montréal fêtent Israel”. But the first paragraph of the article was again entirely dedicated to the counter-protesters. Only SRC relegated them to a tiny final paragraph, which even that is more coverage than they deserve. But the article itself showed the rally and related some of the words of the key speakers.

Update: For anyone who’s interested, MontrealMuslimNews has published its “take” on yesterday’s rally. You’ll notice that the article is filled with inventions, half-truths, and all-out lies. But then, the truth never seemed to bother them before. Absolutely disgusting. No matter so many of them hate Israel so much, if they’re buying this utter crap as truth.

I’m always impressed at large-scale community showings of support. Today, thousands of Montreal Jews (organizers say 15,000) came out to stand up, show our colours, and be counted. Religious and secular, young and – as the speakers tactfully said, “not so young”, Ashkenazi and Sepharadic, students, seniors, professionals, and working stiffs, from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum, all were there to wave the blue and white and to proudly exclaim that “Am Yisrael Chai!”

Buses from all over the city brought people to Phillips Square. Luckily, the weather began to clear up and the sun even came through briefly. In the square, people were singing, talking, circulating, and picking up posters and flags. We then began to walk slowly down Rene-Levesque to Place du Canada.

Unfortunately, it was necessary for us to be escorted by a large security contingent. I say unfortunately, because we ought to be able to show our support for Israel without having to worry about security. But since this does not reflect reality, the organizers took the necessary steps to ensure that the day would come off without incident . . . and they did an extremely good job. The rally was peaceful, orderly, and went off without a hitch.

The theme of the day was peace. Left-wing and right-wing may not share the same vision on how to achieve peace, but everyone agreed that the ultimate goal is none other than Shalom. During the speeches, frequent choruses of “Heveinu Shalom Aleichem” and other peace songs broke out. And a plane flew overhead, carrying the banner “Canadians Support Israel”.

Apart from that, the day was centered around celebrating our widespread community support, within Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. An Israeli choir of young teenagers opened the event with singing and dancing in Hebrew. Speakers and distinguished guests included Montreal Mayor Gerard Tremblay, Federal MP Irwin Cotler, Provincial MP Russel Copeman, two representatives of the Christian communities – one from the Black community and one from the Asian, and the keynote speaker, former Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard.

The speeches were short and most followed a similar pattern. In addition to some of the invited community guests, Israel’s ambassador spoke, as well as a representative of Hillel Montreal, among others. Most called for peace; all reaffirmed their pride in Israel and their absolute commitment to her existence and security.

Only when Lucien Bouchard made an indirect reference to the Road Map and talked about the need for a Palestinian state was there some uneasiness in the crowd. There is a strong desire for peace in the Jewish community, but there is also a massive distrust of the process and of the supposed peace partner. But Bouchard, for his part, stayed mostly on course, as did the other speakers. The whole idea was to focus on what unites us, not on what divides us. Most of the crowd probably did not vote for Bouchard, and many were probably out demonstrating against him and his sovereigntist ideas back in 1995 or even since. But today, people were happy to accept help and support from anyone willing to give it, no matter what other political issues they may disagree on. Lucien Bouchard is now a private citizen, albeit a prominent one, and he chose to take a stand today in support of Israel. Through MP Russell Copeman, Jean Charest’s government also lent its unequivocal support, thus uniting federalists and separatists, all standing together for Israel.

The rally closed with the singing of O Canada and of Hatikvah, and then the crowd dispersed rather quickly. On my way to the bus, I noticed a tiny group of perhaps a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters standing across the street, contained by riot police. They were outnumbered probably 1000 to 1 and I knew they were totally insignificant, but I was still dismayed to realize that the news reports on the event would likely focus on them and not on the main event. But I wasn’t about to let that bother me too much. They’re entitled to their views, but the sheer number of people out today waving the blue and white showed clearly where the widespread support lies.

Israel is 55 years old. Today is a day of celebration. As a number of speakers pointed out, it is also only one day after Yom HaZikaron, the remembrance day for the far too many who have fallen. We cannot celebrate independence without recalling the hard fight to preserve it. We must never take Israel – or our Atzmaut – for granted.

Here are some photos from today’s Yom Ha’atzmaut Rally in downtown Montreal, in support of Israel:

………..

Am Yisrael Chai!

Fifteen thousand people attended today’s Yom Ha’atzmaut rally here in Montreal. I just got back and I don’t have time to write extensively about it now, but this evening I’ll post up a detailed account as well as some photos that I took with my trusty digital camera.

It’s great to see the community out in such strength, showing that no matter what happens, our spirit and our love of Israel will not be broken.

And in typical fashion, CBC Newsworld decided to commemorate Yom Ha’atzmaut by doing a newsmagazine segment on Abu Mazan, and how wonderful and peace-loving he is. No mention of the fact that Abu Mazan is a Holocaust denier and that he also supports continued attacks on Israeli citizens living in the Territories. (Both links via LGF).

But then, it is CBC. What else can we expect from them but a bend-over-backwards-to-be-evenhanded approach that draws a moral equivalency between Israeli defense and Palestinian terror?

Happy 55th birthday, Israel!

The Yom Ha’atzmaut rally is being held in Montreal this upcoming Wednesday May 7th at 11am at Phillips Square.

Last year, attendance reached nearly 25,000 people. This year, it’s extremely important to show up, as a show of support for Israel and a celebration of 55 years of independence.

The link above contains info for free bus transportation and other details. I plan to be there. Will you?

Update: In an interesting twist, former Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard will be speaking at the rally. That ought to be . . . different, anyway. Considering probably almost none of the attendees will have voted for him or the PQ, it’s certainly odd, politically. Maybe that’s the point.