A Student Union meeting at Ryerson University in Toronto showcased how the “anti-Israel” students at Ryerson University, more often than not, are nothing more than a bunch of Jew-haters.

On November 29, 2016 the Ryerson Student Union held their Semi-Annual General Meeting.

Most students at Ryerson do not care to attend student union meetings -- when I was at Ryerson, the student union AGM’s would rarely ever get enough people – or “quorum” – to be able to hold a vote on any of the issues.

The only time quorum would be reached was when there was something spicy to vote on.

So, what was so spicy that caused more than 200 students to give up their Tuesday evening and go to a student union AGM?

It was a vote on whether or not the student union should help facilitate a Holocaust Education Week.

That motion, which couldn’t be more tame or reasonable, is what brought out the Jew-hatred on campus.

WHEREAS it is necessary to learn about the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS it is important to learn about the value of pluralism and the acceptance of diversity; and

WHEREAS it is important to learn about the abuse of power by individuals, organizations, and nations; and

WHEREAS it is important to learn how a modern nation can abuse its technological expertise and bureaucratic infrastructure to implement destructive policies ranging from social engineering to genocide; and

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the RSU commemorate and partake in the official Canadian Holocaust Education Week (or dedicate a full five work days annually and consecutively), in which numerous events/education programs will be dedicated to remembrance and history of the Holocaust; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the programming for this week be devoted solely to Holocaust Education, referring to the time period of 1933 to 1945; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the programming involved in this week include education on Holocaust Survivors; and

BE IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED THAT this week focuses solely on the education of the Holocaust and not on other genocides which have taken place in the 20th and 21st century; and

BE IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED THAT this week be devoted to Holocaust Education without the involvement divisive political discourse; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the RSU pairs with numerous organizations, but primarily with Hillel Ryerson, a non-profit organization aimed at supporting Jewish student life on campus.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the RSU implement this motion by January 1st 2017.

So, that’s it. This should have passed, but instead, members of the Muslim Students Association at Ryerson decided to try and amend the motion so it wouldn’t be about the Holocaust, and when that didn’t work, they orchestrated a walk-out so that quorum would be lost and the motion wouldn’t be able to go through.

It was Abba Eben who famously said, “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” And the same can be said about the Muslim students at Ryerson who actively campaigned against this motion.

The only reason to oppose holding a Holocaust Education Week is if you’re a Holocaust denier or just a Jew-hater.

And that’s my point. The anti-Israel students at Ryerson are often faced with the question,“Are you Jew-haters?” And they answer by saying “No, we just don’t like Zionism.”

But it’s not true.

The opposition to this motion proves that these people equate Zionism and Judaism. Otherwise, the Muslim students at Ryerson who opposed this motion would realize that there’s no problem with having a Holocaust Education Week. It has nothing to do with Israel.

Ryerson hosts days and weeks to raise awareness for numerous other causes, and in light of the increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada, it would be worthwhile for Ryerson to have a Holocaust Education Week.

It all reminds me of when I was on campus and the debates I would have with the anti-Israel students.

I used to love asking people, “Why it was that all three major political party leaders in Canada were not just simply supporters of Israel, but self-described Zionists?”

And the answer I always got was either, “well, it’s because the Jews control the media” or “because the Jews control the politicians.” That’s when the Jew-hatred comes up.

Obviously, not everyone who opposes the state of Israel is a Jew-hater. And obviously, not all Muslims at Ryerson are Jew-haters. Some of my fondest memories at Ryerson were working with student groups like the Ismaili Muslims, and for the record, the Armenians and Catholics as well.

But when you get into Jewish conspiracy theories, like the Holocaust didn’t happen or the Jews are secretly controlling everything behind the scenes, that’s when you lose legitimacy.

When I was at Ryerson I would ask members of the Palestinian student group what they thought Zionism meant, and all they could ever answer was “it means racism.” They have no idea what they are talking about.

Zionism has nothing to do with racism.

But organizing against hosting a Holocaust Education Week? That makes you the real bigot.