Winnepeg College Chief Shunned by Shul for Allowing Israel Apartheid Week
Image by u. of manitoba
Winnipeg’s leading synagogue withdrew an invitation for the University of Manitoba’s president to address its Yom Hashoah interfaith service following anti-Israel events on the university campus, the National Post reported.
David Barnard, the university president, allowed Israel Apartheid Week to take place over the objections of the U of M student government who feared the series of events would exacerbate a tense political climate on campus.
While the student government stripped funding from the U of M chapter of Students Against Israeli Apartheid last year, this year Barnard allowed an outside group to host the week of events criticizing the Jewish state.
“We were … concerned that by having him here we’re basically endorsing him as an individual who would be representative of the community in speaking about this,” Ian Staniloff, executive director of the Shaarey Zedek congregation told the Post.
A spokesman for Barnard said he believes that barring such activities could violate Manitoba’s human rights code.
“I am deeply saddens by the insinuations made about me personally and more importantly about the institution I lead,” Barnard said in a statement. “The decisions made in regard to the IAW activities were independent of any personal views.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
