Segacs’s World I Know

I should say a few words about the legal distinction between the CSU and the Concordia administration, and where I feel the role of the admin fits in.

After I posted the admin’s official response, and took a jab at them for their failure to take a firm stand, several people criticized me for criticizing the admin instead of the CSU. After all, they said, the CSU is a separate legal entity, and the admin has no control over them (despite desperately wishing it did, at times). The CSU has a long history of trying to demonize and villainize the admin at every turn, and loves to make blanket antisemitic accusations about the “Zionist-controlled, corporate-controlled administration”. Furthermore, it is clear from this article that the CSU’s goal all along was to attempt to use this to make the admin look bad:

The other loophole is that Hillel’s club privileges are suspended, not permanently, but just until the university administration investigates and clears them. Slater explains the reasoning, “CSU has a reputation for being hostile to Hillel. We wanted the final decision to be in someone else’s hands.” McIntosh adds, “The university could clear Hillel tomorrow and we’d restore everything. Of course, that would make the university an accessory to the crime and that suits us just fine.”Slater agrees, “The university will have trouble with the Arab and Muslim students if they clear Hillel and trouble with B’nai Brith if they don’t.”

For the most part, I agree with readers that criticizing the admin plays right into the hands of the CSU. If you read what I wrote following the September 9th riots that shut down Netanyahu’s speech, you’ll see that I came to the same conclusion:

I’ve seen petitions calling on the university administration and on the police to deal with the perpetrators of the violence, but blaming either or both of these groups only plays into the hands of those who are trying to pass the buck. I’ve heard of people withholding donations from Concordia until the school cleans up its act — but the school administrators would love nothing more than to get rid of these thorns in their side; their hands are tied, and they’re just as frustrated with the situation as we are.

I still believe that. I cannot emphasize this enough. The group to blame here is the CSU, not the Concordia administration. And in terms of the actual decisions and actions that the admin has taken, I think they are absolutely right to refuse to let the CSU pass the decision to them on this one. It is the CSU’s responsibility, and therefore, the CSU’s failure to exercise its power responsibly.

My reasons for taking a dig at the admin have very little to do with this specific issue, and more to do with the general lack of strong leadership at Concordia. One of the reasons the CSU has been so successful in taking over the school in the past few years is that nobody’s willing to stand up to them. Not the “silent majority” of students who don’t bother to vote in elections. Not the faculty. And not the admin.

Without getting directly involved, the admin could have made its opinion stronger. Instead of worrying about staying on the fence to be politically-correct, it could have taken a stand and stated firmly and clearly that what the CSU did was wrong. That doesn’t mean they have to step in to change anything – and it doesn’t mean people should be blaming them for something that is the CSU’s fault. But when you have a situation where there are no moral checks and balances, the loudest voice gets heard the most.

Still, if you’re angry about the CSU’s actions, blame them, not the Concordia administration. I just want to make that clear.

France once again makes headlines as a new book is published that’s sure to be a hit with all the antisemites-in-training.

Entitled “Rêver La Palestine” (Dream of Palestine), the book is written by a 15-year-old Egyptian girl who holds terrorists up as heroes. According to an e-mail being circulated by the Simon Wiesenthal Center:

The fifteen-year-old Egyptian author, Randa Ghazi, who lives with her family in Italy, writes about Palestinian teenagers who fight ‘bloodthirsty Jews, who assassinate children and old people, profane mosques, and rape Arab women.’

Dream of Palestine is being touted as ‘surprisingly mature’ and ‘a great text of suffering and hope.’ One of the novel’s heroes calls for Jihad against the Jews who are ‘a doomed people’ and to ‘kill all Israelis.’ The main character is encouraged ‘to kill hundreds in his suicide bombing’ and later does blow himself up along with five Israelis.

The book has become a bestseller in French bookstores. To join the protest against it, sign the online petition. And thanks to Jamie for the heads-up on this one.

Update: LGF has posted about this, and there’s quite a lively debate going on in the comments about the dangers of censorship versus the dangers of the hate contained in the book. Check it out.

The Mahal program is what the flyers were about that Hillel supposedly got into all this trouble over. Knave has posted a comment at the Link’s site about his experience in this program, that’s quite informative:

To become a citizen of Israel, there is a compulsory military service requirement. For non-Israelis who are considering immigrating, you can do a three month “basic training” to see what army life is like and whether you can handle it.

How does this differ from the army?

1) You can quit/leave whenever you want, try to do that in a real army

2) You do not carry a weapon when on leave

3) You CANNOT be called to fight in any conflict. You can’t even break up a schoolyard battle. Essentially, you can’t do the one thing that military personnel actually do.

So… what is the point of this?

1) You get treated as if you were in the army, so you can see whether you like it or not.

2) You become phenomenally physically fit

3) Unlike the actual army, its kinda fun!

Now, it is fairly obvious that the CSU has its axe to grind against Hillel, and nobody is seriously denying that. But, given that the CSU has taken it upon themselves to enforce Federal Law on behalf of our law enforcement officials and without the meddlesome burden of the judicial system, they should at least know a little something about what it is they are condemning.

Of course, the CSU doesn’t care about that. They’ve been waiting for years for the tiniest excuse to present itself to jump on Hillel for something. The Mahal program really has very little to do with anything.

But since this is my site, and my table isn’t in CSU space, I’ll just mention that the program’s website it over at http://www.mahal2000.com for anyone who wants to check it out. Wouldn’t it be fitting if they got a ton of people signing up thanks to the CSU?

Update: Thanks, Harry, for pointing out the mistake. It seems Knave was actually describing the Marva program above, not Mahal. I apologize for the mixup.

The Concordia administration once again sticks its head in the sand, by distancing itself from the whole Hillel-CSU affair. In a statement, the university expressed “concern” about the CSU ruling against Hillel, but stopped short of condemning the CSU for taking politically-charged action to shut down its opponents’ right to free speech. Instead, the statement focuses on technicalities and legalities, and criticizes CSU councillor Yves Engler for trying to turn the final decision about Hillel’s status over to the administration. I’ve posted the statement in full below:

Dec. 6, 2002 – The university has learned that the CSU Executive has apparently reversed the recent decision of the CSU Council with respect to the sanctions taken against Hillel. They have, however, imposed new conditions for the reinstatement of Hillel. The university remains concerned about the original Council decision, which effectively shut down the operations of Hillel, one of the CSU constituent organizations. The original CSU Council actions were based on the charge that Hillel was allegedly distributing materials on campus recruiting for the Israeli military.

The CSU Council meeting was held Monday, December 2, the last day of classes for the fall term and on the eve of the university’s examination period. The resolution was considered at approximately midnight. Only 9 of the 27 CSU counsellors were present and the resolution passed by a margin of 8 to 1. Subsequently, CSU Vice President – Communications Yves Engler has stated that the CSU would reinstate Hillel’s privileges if the university administration requested them to do so.

It is important to note that the CSU is an autonomous corporation accredited under the laws of Québec. Through this accreditation, the CSU essentially has the status, power and responsibilities akin to that of an accredited labour union. As such, they are accountable to their own board and beyond that to the Québec government, whose laws afford them this status.

The CSU has the authority and the responsibility to monitor the actions of its constituent organizations and sanction them for appropriate reasons. It is our understanding that they sanctioned Hillel for distributing information regarding recruitment for a foreign military force which, the CSU alleges, is illegal in Canada. It is unclear whether due process was followed before the CSU Council decision was taken. In fact, the university has been informed that Hillel has engaged an attorney who has sent a formal legal demand to the CSU outlining a number of procedural irregularities and demanding that the decision be reversed by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9.

More to the point, it is the duty of the CSU to exercise its authority in a manner which is fair, equitable, and above all, proportionate and non-partisan. In the university’s opinion, the current sanctions against Hillel are wholly disproportionate and should be modified.

In light of these facts, it is obvious that Mr. Engler’s statements are inappropriate and self-serving. The CSU has asserted on many occasions that, as a result of its accreditation, it is illegal for the university to intervene in CSU business. Therefore, it is particularly offensive to request the university overturn CSU Council decisions on an invitation-only basis when it is to the advantage of the CSU. The CSU Executive has the authority to take the same action that they have requested of the university administration. We cannot absolve them of their responsibility and legal duty to conduct their affairs in a fair, equitable and non-partisan manner. And the university certainly cannot, and will not, intervene on a periodic basis or by invitation only, especially when it does not have the legal authority to do so.

If the CSU feels that it cannot carry out its legal responsibilities in a manner that is fair and equitable, and if they believe that they require help to do so, then they may turn to the government for help in the form of a government-appointed trustee who would be legally empowered to oversee the CSU.

If the CSU believes that it is exercising its legal authority fairly and in a non-partisan manner, then it is the responsibility of the students at the ballot box each spring to decide whether they agree..

*Sigh* As usual, they’ve taken a position that’s about as firm as quicksand. Come on, guys, would it kill you to once – just once – take a stand?

The White House has determined that the Palestinians didn’t comply with the agreements that Yassar Arafat signed with the US and Israel. (via Lynn B.)

But despite the fact that legally, the US should impose sanctions on Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, Bush is choosing to waive them, citing security concerns.

The report, obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday, says the Palestinians have not complied with several elements of its agreements, including recognizing the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, solving all disputes through negotiation and peaceful means, and renouncing the use of violence.

Because of the sanction waiver, Monday’s actions have no concrete effect.

Some American Jewish organizational officials and lawmakers are nonetheless praising the symbolic gesture of chastising the Palestinians for their noncompliance, but are criticizing the president’s waiver of the sanctions.

Well, of course they’re criticizing the waiver of the sanctions. Not only is he telling Arafat it’s okay to break his promises, he’s also sending the message to the international community that it’s okay.

What will happen when more countries start blatantly ignoring the terms of treaties they’ve signed? What will happen when Palestinian supporters claim that it’s Israel who really broke the Oslo agreements, and despite the falsehood of this, they can point to the fact that the US never sanctioned Arafat?

This is like telling a kid not to steal candy, and when the kid steals it anyway, the parents let him keep it, allowing the shopkeeper to blame the kid’s little brother instead.

There needs to be a call on the US to impose these sanctions, to send a clear message.

Hillel has concluded its investigation into the supposed excuse for its shutdown by the CSU, and has released the following press release (emphasis mine):

MONTREAL, December 6, 2002 – Concordia Hillel has concluded its internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of its club privileges by the Council of Representatives of the Concordia Student Union.

The allegations that Concordia Hillel violated the Foreign Enlistment Act by distributing a flier recruiting for the Israeli Defence Forces are entirely unfounded. The flier in question was not a Hillel flier, but rather the brochure of an independent organization with no ties whatsoever to Hillel. The flier was not put out by Hillel, or by any official representative thereof. Though the flier was allegedly found on a Concordia Hillel information table, it was never approved or endorsed by Concordia Hillel or any agent or official thereof. Further, the presence of the flier on the Hillel table was not brought to the attention of the Hillel leadership until the matter was brought before the CSU Council in a surprise, politically motivated motion to suspend Hillel.

Hillel is the Jewish Student Union at Concordia and represents the Jewish students of the university. Its mandate is to provide programs and services to meet the cultural, social, religious, and advocacy needs of Concordia’s Jewish students. It does not, nor has it ever, recruited for the IDF or any other foreign agency of any kind. The motion passed by the CSU, in violation of the rules governing the adoption of such motions, was a deliberate attempt by certain forces within the CSU to smear the good name of Concordia Hillel and, in doing so, to silence their political opponents on campus. The resulting motion is a violation of the rights of Concordia Hillel to due process and, in effect if not intent, of the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly of the Jewish student at Concordia.

In light of this information, we call on the CSU to immediately, and without condition or qualification, rescind the motion passed at the last meeting of the Council. We further call upon them to issue a full public apology to Hillel for failing to provide us with due process. The CSU has been duly notified that we intend to take legal action against them should they fail to comply with these demands.

Well, there you have it. I don’t intend to hold my breath waiting for a CSU apology, though. I think I’d be blue in the face before they’d admit to wrongdoing.

Israeli army incursions in Gaza have left ten more people dead, including two UN employees. While Israel was clearly targeting Hamas terrorists (five of the ten dead were identified as Hamas members), you’d never know it from the media reports, who love to skew everything to make it look like Israel is launching unprovoked incursions simply as a show of strength and not as the defensive measures that they are.

“This loss of civilian lives, of people working for a humanitarian UN agency, is completely unacceptable, said Peter Hansen, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, in Geneva. “I must condemn what appears to be the indiscriminate use of heavy firepower in a densely populated civilian area.”

[. . .]

Feingold, the army spokeswoman, accused Palestinian militants of hiding behind civilians in the camps. “It’s a shame because the civilian population who’s not involved in terrorism … is the one to pay the price.”

But the worst comment has to come from the Danish Foreign Minister, who uses the logic that’s so twisted and yet so prevalent in the EU these days:

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, representing the European Union, warned Israel that using “excessive might” could backfire.

“It’s deeply tragic that completely innocent people again have been killed,” Moeller told reporters in Copenhagen. “It creates a new fundament for more terrorism, it creates anger.”

Yet another example of the backwards thinking of most of Europe. It’s the same logic by which people in Montreal claimed that Hillel should never have invited Benjamin Netanyahu to Concordia, because “it might provoke anger and violence”.

The blame in that case lies with the violent rioters. They can’t say “well, you made us mad, so we’re not responsible for our actions”. Imagine if a serial killer said that about his victims? Imagine if an abusive husband said that about his wife?

It’s the same thing here. Moeller is excusing Palestinian terror and its killing of innocent people ON PURPOSE as an angry reaction to Israel’s ACCIDENTAL killing of innocent people – especially ones being used as human shields by cowardly terrorists. We know that Hamas is angry and violent, Moeller is saying, so let’s condemn Israel for making them mad and maybe causing them to launch more attacks. After all, it must be Israel’s fault.

I could weep.

International Hillel lights seventh candle in support of Concordia Hillel. On the international website for Hillel, a call went out yesterday to stand in solidarity with Concordia Hillel. While we were in the Hall building lighting our menorah, Hillel chapters around the world were lighting theirs as a sign of support.

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life calls on Jewish students the world over to light the seventh candle of the Chanukah menorah this evening in solidarity with Jewish students at Concordia University who this week were denied the right to meet on campus by the Concordia Student Union.

“Chanukah is the festival of freedom. Tonight as we light a candle for Concordia we assert our right to celebrate our Jewishness. The Jewish people fought intolerance in ancient times and we will fight it today,” stated Hillel President and International Director Richard M. Joel.

On the one hand, the expression of support is wonderful. On the other hand, I’m kind of ashamed to realize just how much Concordia’s international reputation has been damaged. I graduated from that school. It’s on my diploma and my resume. I had a pretty good three years there – DESPITE the idiots. They are not the majority and they do not represent most students, and most of the time I had no problem just going about my business and ignoring them . . . and getting a damn good education in the process, I might add.

It disheartens me to realize that people are giving up on Concordia instead of fighting to take it back from those who have hijaked it. Would they be so quick to give up on McGill, or Harvard, or Princeton? Would they be so quick to just shrug and say “the school’s been taken over by the professional shit-disturbers, good riddance”? I doubt it. No, they’d fight for their school.

To any Concordia student who may be reading this: the power ultimately rests with you, at the voting booth. Get informed, get involved, get organized, and make a change. Victory may be difficult at Concordia but it’s not impossible. And the rewards are great: reclaiming the school for the students, in the name of democracy, freedom, and the right thing.

AP reports that that an Israeli accountant has come forward about having helped Arafat manage a secret $300 million slush fund.

Former Israeli envoys to peace talks with the Palestinians were involved in the illegal transfer of $300 million US to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat through a secret Swiss account, one of the envoys said Thursday. [. . .]

The money was transferred from an official Palestinian Authority account on the West Bank of the Jordan River by Arafat and one of his top aides, said Ozrad Lev, a former assistant to one-time top Israeli envoy Yossi Ginossar. He said he could no longer live with the secret.

Lev, an accountant, said he and Ginossar helped open and manage the Swiss account. [. . .]

“The money could have been used for personal needs, to form a shelter for Arafat and senior Palestinian officials, to pay salaries or even, and I really hope not, for illegal activities,” Lev said.

The money was transferred by Rashid to an unknown destination some time last year, Lev said.

Arafat has issued the standard denials, but among the documented evidence that Lev presented are papers with Arafat’s signature and copies of his passport. The truth is, the money simply vanished. So as the world cries about the “poor, starving, underfunded Palestinians”, remember that Arafat simply made $300 million in foreign money disappear. Anyone have three guesses where it went? I think you’ll only need one, and it wasn’t to install a new swingset in the park.