KAIROS, an ecumenical organization of 11 religious groups including the United Church of Canada, the Anglicans, the Presbyterians, and the Quakers, is fighting back against charges of anti-Semitism from Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
The charges followed a cut in funding from CIDA for KAIROS programs announced on November 30. As KAIROS summarizes the situation on its website:
The Minister of International Cooperation, Bev Oda, has been telling KAIROS, Parliament and the Canadian people that funding to KAIROS was cut because its work did not fit current Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) priorities of economic growth, food security and children and youth.
On Wednesday, however, a completely different reason was given in a speech by Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration. Addressing the Global Forum to Counter Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem, Minister Kenney described his government’s fights against anti-Semitism and, as an example, said the government had “defunded organizations … like KAIROS for taking a leadership role in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign” against Israel.
Minister Kenney’s charge against KAIROS is false. KAIROS did not lead this campaign. In 2007, KAIROS took a public position opposing sanctions and a boycott of Israel. A recently released document, Kairos Palestine, 2009: A Moment of Truth, is not a document of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. Kairos is a Greek word meaning “God’s time” and is commonly used by Christian groups.
A Minister of the Crown says that his government decided, for what is a highly political reason, to cut funds for a proposal developed in consultation with and approved by CIDA. Canadians need the truth. Two points must be made: criticism of Israel does not constitute anti-Semitism; and CIDA was developed to fund international aid and not to serve political agendas. Minister Kenney’s statement, in a highly charged environment, raises very disturbing questions about the integrity of Canadian development aid decisions.
Jason Kenney's own website does not seem to include the speech in question. Nor does the website of Bev Oda include her speech about the funding cuts. A search of the CIDA website found no mention of KAIROS.
The Globe and Mail has a report on the issue as well as a December 11 opinion piece about the funding cut.
The Star also has a long story on its website about the defunding and the response of KAIROS.
Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.
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Skywalker
2 years ago
Another good reason to get rid of Harper
If criticism of Israel constitutes anti-Semitism in the opinion of the conservatives then it is high time to ride ourselves of these people.
shepsil
2 years ago
Backlash against those of Jewish Heritage
I very much resent Jason Kenny's use of Jewish culture and heritage as a political tool. I am a Jew who does not support the right wing "Eastern European Jewish Israeli" gov't and many of their actions against other people, including Jews (of middle eastern heritage)and of course all those original inhabitants displaced by the current Israeli gov't.
Kenny is adding fuel to the inevitable fire of backlash against all Jews because of the actions of those with an agenda of fear mongering.
World War 2 was more than 64 years ago and the Jewish Holocaust cannot continue to dictate such a fearful agenda, that all who
speak against anything Jewish are labeled anti-semitic.
Sask Resident
2 years ago
Funding
Why is no one on the blog asking why the government is or should be funding non-governmental organizations. Government funding usually means that the organization does not have to justify their work with the general public to gain and maintain support but to a few bureaucrats issuing public money. KAIROS, seemingly a Christian religious group, may do good work but good work alone should not justify support by the government. Many of Canada's trading partners and other countries do not like Canada supporting a group viewed as trying to convert people, whether they actually try or not. I think the "anti-Semitism" claim is bogus by both sides.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Funding
If CIDA cut funding to all these organization that would be a totally different issue. To cut funding to one on the basis of a spurious claim that they are anti-semitic smacks of the heavy hand of the Jewish Defense League. That the reason given would be "KAIROS for taking a leadership role in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign” against Israel. is that" when it is not true suggests that common sense has gone. We put aside the issue of why Canada has to suck up to the Israelis for the time being but this action by the Harper Conservative Government is wrong!
shepsil
2 years ago
Backlash against Jews = Anti-semitism
This article explains my own conclusions better than I could have above.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Shepsil
The opinion piece by Kaplan in the Globe and Mail say much the same thing.
Alison Creekside
2 years ago
Kenney's speech
is here.
When contacted for a statement on the funding cuts, Kenney's spokesperson Alykhan Velshi, who interned at the neocon American Enterprise Institute, "pointed to a 2006 press release from B’nai Brith and Canadian Christian College president Charles McVety calling on CIDA to stop funding KAIROS."
Skywalker
2 years ago
Reap the whirlwind!
The more details one reads to this story the more it becomes clear this is misguided politics at best and bullying tactics at worst. Nothing about the cutting of funds to KAIROS is justified in a free society. We are becoming more like the U.S. with the Fundamentalist Christians being in concert with the Jewish extremists to create a version of history that denies most of reality thus giving them free reign to oppress Palestinians and now everyone who questions their actions. It does not matter that whoever advised the government of Canada is completely wrong. Punishing a group that questions Israeli policy just to gain favor with 1 % of the Canadian population which is Jewish and risking alienating the ecumenical group involved in Kairos makes no sense unless... Unless Canadian policy is dictated by a small group of B'nai Brith types.
The best reason to give Harper's thugs the boot.
Jeffrey J.
2 years ago
Israeli Peace Movement Critical of Israel
This persistent effort to link criticism of right wing Isreali policies with anti-semitism has become obviously fallacious. Thanks to brilliant authors like Uri Avnery (of Gush Shalom http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1261273531/ ) and the recent publication of the Politics of Anti-Semitism, which logically and clearly demolishes the bogus effort to squelch proper criticism of Israeli tactics.
http://www.counterpunch.org/poas.html
The recent meteoric rise in Israeli veto power in the West, reached a new high (low) when the UK had to apologize when an arrest warrant was issued for Tzipi Livni for war crimes arising from Israel's killing campaign last year against Palestinian civilians. Now, Israel has demanded it be exempt from Britain's war crimes tribunal.
A very disturbing time indeed. Great coverage.
shepsil
2 years ago
Skywalker
Couldn't find the article by Kaplan, but here is one on the same subject by Rick Salutin in the Globe & Mail that gives a similar viewpoint.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Kaplan article
O got it by clicking on the "opinion piece" in the second last paragraph of Crawford Kilian's article above.
ursus
2 years ago
interesting post Allison
"When contacted for a statement on the funding cuts, Kenney's spokesperson Alykhan Velshi, who interned at the neocon American Enterprise Institute, "pointed to a 2006 press release from B’nai Brith and Canadian Christian College president Charles McVety calling on CIDA to stop funding KAIROS."
So who is in charge of selecting which organizations receive tax payer funds? The B'nai Brith? The canadian christian college president? WTF? harpy has to go, I can see a real back lash against the neo cons over this issue.
They are trying to take away our right to express our opinions, this is like the thin edge of the wedge, I also find it interesting that the ndp are in on this and that their two mps are in winnipeg? aspers? Who is running this country?
jnewcomb
2 years ago
KAIROS supports those who seek to destroy Israel
Problem with this article is that Kilian ignores the elephant in the room - that in fact, KAIROS has been clearly and accurately linked to those who would endanger the lives of the people of Israel.
For reference on this, please read:
http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/200912162469/CIDA-rejects-grant-renewal-after-35-years-of-support.html