U of T Must Not Be a Platform for Antisemitic Hate and Propaganda

At Hillel Ontario, we are committed to speaking out clearly, confidently and loudly about antisemitism on campus wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head.

Like you, we have been acutely concerned about the situation for Jewish students at the University of Toronto for some time. 

On November 8, UofT will host a conference titled The Anti-Zionist Idea: History, Theory, & Politics on its St. George campus, with numerous academic groups sponsoring.  

This conference platforms notorious terror apologists and disguises antisemitic ideas as academic discourse. This is dangerous to Jewish student safety and security.

The convenors of this event include Esmat Elhalaby, who, just days after the horrific Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, wrote an article where he noted that “Moments of decolonization, in relation to the recalcitrant Palestinian case, have been occasions for jubilation.” These comments are reminiscent of the horrific sentiments shared by another U of T professor who described “feelings of jubilation” and “energized” when hearing of the massacre. 

Another listed participant, Nasser Abourahme, refers to Hamas, a Canadian-designated terrorist entity, as “the resistance factions in Gaza,” “the forces, today, that stand between Palestinians and complete obliteration[.]”

Participant Heidi Matthews, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, shared the following tweet on October 8, 2023, just one day after the most brutal slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust: 

Finally, Jens Hanssen, steering committee member of Hearing Palestine, a sponsor of the conference, is known for a disturbing act of conspiratorial antisemitism when he refused to meet with a Jewish student on the grounds that they were acting as part of a group of “Israeli advocacy activists sent to North American campuses.”

This conference is only the latest event in which individuals are being given a platform to spread hatred. One day prior to this event, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories will be speaking on the St. George campus. Albanese has a lengthy history of justifying terrorist actions, obfuscating history, and spreading antisemitic discourse, including a comment bemoaning the influence of “the Jewish lobby.” 

The University of Toronto should not continue to platform speakers under the guise of academic freedom, knowing that these individuals perpetuate dangerous antisemitic hate and terrorist propaganda.

Legitimizing such voices fosters an environment of hostility that endangers the safety of Jewish students.

Please add your name below to the growing list of concerned community members to ensure that your concerns are shared with the leadership of the University of Toronto.