A new government-issued handbook aims to define antisemitism. Will it make a difference?

Ever since Oct. 7, there has been a deluge of antisemitism propagated under the veil of anti-Zionism. Cartoons of world-dominating Jewish rats and hook-nosed devils; claims that Israel has no right to exist; calls for the death of Jews… the list goes on. These Canadian examples of real-world instances of antisemitism are just some of the many detailed in a new 56-page government handbook, published Oct. 31 by the office of Canada’s special envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism. For Special Envoy Deborah Lyons, publishing this handbook was near the top of her to-do list after being appointed to the post last year, completing the work begun to fulfill a promise the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made in 2022. While the handbook has no legal power, Lyons hopes that by setting out in clear, understandable terms what contemporary antisemitism looks like, Canadians can recognize it when they see it—and take action in their workplaces, unions, school boards, the police, the courts and on campus. Lyons admits her team wanted to avoid provoking pushback from anti-Zionist activists, and so they agreed to exclude certain current pro-Palestinian references, such as the chant, “From the river to the sea”. But that hasn’t stopped the federal NDP and anti-Israel groups from attacking the handbook already, which Lyons says just proves the need for it, amidst the ongoing tensions that have divided many Canadians since Oct. 7. Lyons returns to The CJN Daily to explain what did and didn’t make it into the handbook, and why. We’ll also hear from handbook’s main author, Noah Lew..

What we talked about:

• Read the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, issued Oct. 31, 2024, and watch this short video with simple definitions of what is and is not antisemitism.
• Learn why Canada adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2019, in The CJN.
• Hear why an antisemitism handbook was high on Deborah Lyons’ to do list after she was appointed as Canada’s special envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism in Oct. 2023, 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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