Attacks on Avi Lewis are becoming dangerous

So it was appalling to see the level of vitriol recently directed at Avi Lewis, the federal leader of the New Democratic Party, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s assault on Gaza and Palestinians.

Lewis, who is Jewish, has come under harsh attack from several prominent critics, particularly in response to a recent social media post on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Globe and mail Columnist Robyn Urback accused Lewis of engaging in “anti-Semitism,” and public finance economist Jack Mintz condemned Lewis at an awards ceremony, saying anti-Israel critics “soon turn to anti-Semitism.”

Most disturbing, however, was an article in the National Postwritten by Yoni Goldstein, former editor of the Canadian Jewish News, who accused Lewis of “endangering Jews across Canada,” insisting that “(w)hen the community is threatened from within, rational debate and private conversation are no longer options.”

Instead of reasoned debate, Goldstein suggests that biblical law provides guidance in handling the threat allegedly posed by Lewis. Under the headline “Jewish Law Tells Us How to Deal with Avi Lewis,” Goldstein’s article tells the story of God punishing the biblical dissenter Korach, burning him and his followers alive after Korach endangered the Jewish community.

Although the article does not directly call for violence against Lewis, it certainly suggests it.

Certainly, any suggestion that religious law bloodshed against political dissenters – or anyone else – is completely out of sync with Canadian values, regardless of religion.

Lewis angered some in the Jewish community by writing on the eve of a Jewish holiday: “For Jewish people, the personal has always been political and the political always personal. This year I reflect on the fact that we have not done our part to stop an ongoing genocide in our name.”

When accused of suggesting some kind of collective responsibility, Lewis clarified: “I spoke as a Jewish Canadian from a place of deep sadness…Many Jews have said that we have not done enough as a Jewish people, among a family of faiths and communities around the world.

Judy Rebick has pointed out that Lewis’s comment is reminiscent of the conscientious men who created the White Ribbon campaign (which was against violence against women), because they felt a special responsibility as men to address such violence.

Lewis says that as a Jew, he feels particularly strongly about Israel’s actions against Palestinians because Israel sometimes claims to be acting on behalf of the Jewish people.

As a political leader with a megaphone, Lewis really does represent a danger – namely to the fierce pro-Israeli voices that have long succeeded in suppressing criticism of Israel both inside and outside the community.

The response in some quarters was extreme, not only smearing Lewis, but even resorting to violence against him.

Lewis comes from a venerable tradition of dissent within the Jewish community. He is proud that his great-grandfather, Moishe Losz, was a leader of the Jewish Labor Bund, a trade union and political movement that fought against anti-Semitism in Poland, while strongly resisting Zionist calls to solve the problem of Jewish dispossession by taking land from Palestinians.

The struggle between the Covenant and the Zionists was bitter, with the Zionists eventually triumphing and succeeding in establishing the State of Israel on land formerly occupied by Palestinians. However, the plight of the Palestinians remained a central focus for a segment of the Jewish community.

Lewis’ track record of defending Palestinian rights reverberates with this segment of Jewish opinion, and with many other Canadians. His position for Palestinian justice is a principled one – and all the more commendable because of the freedom – and sometimes menace – of his critics.

This article was originally published in Toronto Star.