(Note: the article this letter addresses was originally headlined ‘Israel Apartheid’ talk draws 100 protesters in the print edition of The Star. The title was subsequently modified in the online version)
Re: ‘Israeli Apartheid’ talk draws 100 protesters, March 4
This headline is misleading as the article goes on to state there were only 20 protesters opposing the event and 100 supporting it. Also misleading is the portrayal of the dispute as Jewish vs non-Jewish when, in fact, a number of supporters were Jewish – possibly more than the number protesting – and a number of Jewish groups, such as Not In Our Name and Independent Jewish Voices, have spoken out to defend the organizers.
The demarcation line over the Israeli apartheid debate is not Judaism but Zionism and it’s time the media stopped confusing the two. Many Jews are not Zionists and many Zionists are not Jews.
Andy Lehrer, Independent Jewish Voices, Toronto
