It’s been nearly five months since officials at the University of Windsor signed what many observers describe as the most far-reaching agreement by any post-secondary school in Canada to meet the demands of pro-Palestinian students who erected protest encampments in the spring. In return, the Windsor student council and the so-called Liberation Zone protesters agreed in July to dismantle their encampment peacefully, with no academic penalties.
But the terms of the deal outraged Jewish leaders in the city and across the country: they felt it went too far, rewarded illegal activities, and ignored the trauma felt by the small group of Jewish students who attend Windsor and have long complained they have been the targets of campus antisemitism after Oct. 7. While local Jewish leaders are still working on a legal challenge against the university, and some major philanthropists have cancelled their donations, the university has recently taken some steps to hear the concerns of Jewish students–a Jewish advisor has just been hired, (along with someone who will advise Palestinian students). Two links about antisemitism have been uploaded to the school’s new anti-oppression website. And the Jewish students club has just been invited to join a campus Parade of Nations event next semester.
So has the situation on campus actually improved at all for Jewish students? Ellin Bessner traveled to Windsor recently to speak at a Jewish community event. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, she interviews Justin Hébert, a law student who heads the Jewish Students Association, Stephen Cheifetz, president of Windsor’s Jewish Federation, and Marion Zeller, the Federation’s new CEO.
Related links
- Read more about professor Ira Cohen, the new Jewish Student Advisor appointed in Oct. 2024, at the University of Windsor.
- Why the University of Windsor offered a separate agreement for Jewish students after a deal to end the student Palestinian encampment in July contained widespread boycott of Israel and increased support for Gaza and Palestine, in The CJN.
- Hear student Sydney Greenspoon and Jewish Federation chair Stephen Cheifetz explain why they will fight the University of Windsor’s deal with encampment protesters, from July 2024, on The CJN Daily.
Credits
- Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
- Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
- Music: Dov Beck-Levine
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