Jewish parents to rally at TDSB meeting on anti-Palestinian racism

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More than 100 concerned parents and children are expected to rally as the Toronto District School Board meets Tuesday evening, because they allege they were denied the right to speak during the meeting about the implications of adopting the concept of anti-Palestinian racism into its broader anti-discrimination strategy.

“There’s going to be a community rally outside of the TDSB since they won’t hear us speak at the meeting,” Aaron Kucharczuk, a concerned father of three children in the district, told the National Post by phone.

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“Why are staff and the trustees hiding behind these walls, refusing to hear from the Jewish community? Why are they hiding?” Carly Cohen, another concerned TDSB parent, told the Jewish Educators and Families Association. “Why are the personal stories of hate and racism experienced by Jewish students and teachers in the TDSB incompatible with the TDSB’s combating hate and racism strategy? I have personally lost confidence in the leadership of the TDSB.”

On Tuesday evening, trustees for Canada’s largest school board will continue its discussion of a report on its strategy to counter racism and hate in school. The strategy includes seven distinct forms of discrimination, including homophobia, Islamophobia and antisemitism. But, “in response to student and community voices,” the strategy has been updated to include anti-Palestinian racism as well.

That update was first considered at a June 5 meeting.

“It seems apparent that the desire to include a definition on anti-Palestinian racism (and this urgently) is a virtue signalling move meant to further polarize and divide Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish and/or Arab students given that there is no indication that anti-Palestinian racism has occurred as a form of discrimination within the TDSB,” said Jess Burke, the director of diversity, inclusion and training, at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

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Those opposed to the inclusion of anti-Palestinian racism in the anti-hate strategy allege that they have been unable to voice their concerns about the policy in a formal fashion in front of TDSB trustees.

The first meeting to consider the proposal to include anti-Palestinian racism was held at the June 5 meeting. Trustees heard that night from several speakers, although they were largely supportive of the measure. A vote to adopt it was originally scheduled for June 11, but was postponed due to it coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

Since then, opponents of the motion had envisioned June 18 as their opportunity to present their views to trustees. But, the TDSB’s stance is that in-person delegations were heard from on June 5, and Tuesday evening’s meeting is simply a continuation of the remainder of that meeting, so there is “no opportunity to delegate in-person as that already happened.”

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Opponents, however, feel that they haven’t been given a chance to speak out.

“It’s important to note that we have continued to accept numerous written delegations over recent weeks and these are being shared with Trustees,” said Bird.

While parent and student voices will be featured at the protest, they decided not to include teachers “knowing that the union isn’t going to protect them,” Kucharczuk, a founding member of the Jewish Educators and Families Association (JEFA), said.

The protesters are being supported by several prominent Jewish groups, including B’nai Brith Canada, End Jew Hatred and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation. After the public event, they will attend and observe the TDSB proceedings.

The concept of anti-Palestinian racism is of particular concern to Jewish activists because, according to Kucharczuk, there is no clear definition in the initiative of what constitutes anti-Palestinian racism.

“The only definition of anti-Palestinian racism that I’ve seen, and it’s one that is frequently cited amongst advocates, says denying the Nakba or trying to silence or exclude Palestinian narratives is a form of anti-Palestinian racism,” Kucharczuk told National Post earlier in June.

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The Nakba refers to the expulsion or flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948 following five Arab nations invading Israel seeking its destruction. It is also marked by a national day of mourning on May 15.

“Adopting this definition of anti-Palestinian racism also means you’re going to have to adopt Nakba Day because any resistance to the idea that it should be taught in schools is racist; is a form of anti-Palestinian racism. So they are linked in that way,” said Kucharczuk.

The June 18 meeting agenda references “anti-Palestinian racism” but does not define the concept, nor does a staff report on the discrimination strategy.

Ryan Bird, a spokesman for the TDSB, said there is not an “identified definition” of anti-Palestinian racism.

“As a board, we are currently using the principles and legislation of the Human Rights Code. There isn’t a specific definition of Anti-Palestinian racism in TDSB policies,” Bird said in an emailed statement.

Schools have become a political faultline for many Jewish parents in the wake of October 7. JEFA has collected testimonials from students and parents who have been directly impacted by antisemitism in Toronto public schools.

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“Antisemitism has been a huge problem at the TDSB. Their own data says that last fall incidents of antisemitism tripled,” Kucharczuk said earlier this month.

Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting, Kucharczuk feels that the whole ordeal has been largely a distraction from the worsening situation of antisemitic hate crimes within Toronto public schools.

“We actually need to address the situation in our schools,” he told the Post a few hours before the scheduled rally. “I also think it’s important that everyone sort of understands that even rejecting the report is just maintaining the status quo and the status quo is still very problematic.”

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