Last week, I received an email from Barry and Honey Sherman. I know the Shermans quite well, mostly because of our common interest in charitable causes, especially in the Jewish community. They’re among the major benefactors of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s annual campaign, which provides material support to the poor, seniors, Holocaust survivors, day schools, camps and much more.
The email was an invitation to meet Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau at the Shermans’ house. The price tag for the event was $1,500. I chose not to go because I’m a longtime supporter of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative party. While I respect the Shermans’ right to support Trudeau and the Liberals, I know where my loyalties lie and believe I have plenty of good reasons for my support, even setting aside Harper’s precedent-setting pro-Israel stance.
The Shermans’ email, which was widely distributed in the Jewish community, was followed by a response from another well-known community member, Gabe Erem. Erem’s email contained many reasons why he did not believe it was a good idea for the Shermans – or anyone in the Jewish community, for that matter – to support Trudeau and his party. While addressed specifically to Barry, the email was copied to others and is continuing to make its way around the community rather broadly, usually with the headline “Have you seen this?” as if to suggest that the Shermans’ support for the Liberals is akin to Israeli Apartheid Week or boycotting the Jewish state.
Sherman responded to Erem with his own view of the situation. He requested that his response be communicated by Erem to the same group who may have received the original email. He also asked that Erem retract his allegations and apologize for the contents of his email. While I don’t think Erem was required to apologize for expressing a point of view, the request to distribute Barry’s response was reasonable.
But then things got really ugly.
More emails started circulating conspiracy theory-type stuff about the Shermans, including allegations they were trading donations for Senate seats. And then I learned that the Jewish Defence League planned to organize a picket line outside the Sherman event supporting Trudeau.
Really?
Do people in this community have nothing better to do than attack fellow Jews just because they hold a different political view? Is it really necessary to concoct conspiracy theories to explain why someone would support a party that is filled with fellow Jews and fellow Zionists?
No, the Liberals do not compare to the Conservatives when it comes to support for the Israel and the Jewish community. And yes, I agree that the Liberals are far more likely to adopt political positions reminiscent of the Obama administration. But to picket someone’s home over a political disagreement? To attack people personally?
(Meanwhile, the party with the highest number of nefarious characters, the NDP, gets a free ride, because no one in our community has decided to support them, and get attacked for it. Tom Mulcair must be smiling!)
What’s next? Orthodox pro-lifers protesting pro-choice secular and Reform Jews? Or perhaps those who are opposed to day schools in principle might picket day school fundraisers? Reform and Conservative Jews demonstrating outside Orthodox synagogues because Orthodox rabbis don’t recognize the conversions of Reform and Conservative rabbis? Orthodox rabbis protesting their perception of the abandonment of certain religious traditions by Reform and Conservative Jews? Maybe we should arrange to have rotating pickets, to avoid confusion.
Protest the public events of political parties all you want. That’s your right. It’s also your right to disagree in writing or on social media. But before you attack people, before you decide to protest outside their homes, remember the damage it does to the fabric of the community. And understand that this type of behaviour is the thin edge of a very problematic wedge.
