Tensions amongst pro-Palestine and pro-Israeli students fester following a contentious fundraiser by Chabad Kingston.
Chabad Kingston, an organization providing to Jewish Queen’s students, raised money for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), selling babkas in the Queen’s Centre on March 4. Proceeds from the “Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces” bake sale ed soldiers’ humanitarian needs, not weapons, Rabbi Sruly Simon said in a statement to The Journal.
Following the bake sale, student-run advocacy group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) posted a statement demanding the AMS and University condemn the event. SPHR said they were shocked and disgusted by the booth, held days after what some Palestinians are calling the “flour massacre,” where civilians near an aid convoy were killed in Gaza on Feb. 29.
READ MORE: Jewish students hold rally and booth on campus
After the booth, Jewish students were attacked online with hate and insults Sruly described as deeply concerning and misguided. He said the booth’s purpose was to the family and friends of Queen’s students in Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks.
“It’s unfortunate there is a dearth of flour and baked goods in Gaza, but that sadly is what happens when terrorists attack from amidst a civilian population. It’s ultimately the responsibility of the Hamas terrorists,” Sruly said.
Palestinian-allied groups are feeling the heightened tensions on campus. Students participating in Israeli Apartheid Week events, running from March 4 to 8, experienced both intimidation and mocking, SPHR spokesperson Yara Hussein, ArtSci ’24, said in an interview with The Journal. At the “Die In” rally on March 7, Hussein saw students mocking the event, which honoured Palestinians who lost their lives.
“Regardless of indifference, no student who’s ing Palestine or cares about what is happening in Gaza would ever to go another event that’s being organized by a Hillel group or a Zionist group on campus and make fun or parade or take selfies,” Hussein said in an interview with The Journal.
READ MORE: Students stage die-in protest for Israeli Apartheid Week
The University and the AMS remained silent following the Chabad Kingston fundraiser. SPHR emailed Principal Patrick Deane asking the University to condemn the bake sale on March 6, but hasn’t received a response.
“Had there been a fundraiser for any other military, whether it was Russia, whether it was for the RCMP or a Palestinian militant group, there would have been immediate alarm and justified concern,” Zainab Naqvi, MSc ’26, said in an interview with The Journal.
Naqvi said the University’s immediate response to the Palestinian flag hung on top of Grant Hall’s clocktower on March 8, compared to their nonresponse to the bake sale, demonstrated a double standard by Queen’s.
“There was a Palestinian flag that was raised in solidarity and there was an immediate statement. A student group was raising money for [the IDF] that killed family and friends of students on campus, and we still haven’t heard anything from Queen’s University,” Naqvi said.
READ MORE: Palestinian flag flies over Queen’s campus
In a statement to The Journal, the University said the bake sale was booked through the Student Life Centre (SLC) booking centre with no descriptors given about the event. The SLC booking form requires students to input a description or the event may be subject to cancellation by the AMS.
AMS executives said they’ve increased the description portion of the booking form in response to the bake sale. The executives maintained Chabad Kingston is a non-ratified group, and their events aren’t sanctioned through the AMS or the events approval process.
For Naqvi, the AMS executives are evading responsibility for the event.
“[The AMS] didn’t take any type of ownership considering they still have hip in the Student Life Centre and oversee the policies that rent out those tables,” Naqvi said.
The AMS executives claim to have taken Naqvi and other students’ concerns to the University istration.
“The AMS Executives have voiced student concerns to upper istration over this event and the impact it has had on the well-being of many communities,” KMV said in a statement to The Journal.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].
Sue Nicastro
Thank you for your article and showing honest and fair journalism by speaking the truth! My question is how is it that the university demanded SPHR to remove the word “martyrdom” from its vigil they wanted to hold for many killed in Gaza because the university feared it would incite violence prior to their event and stated if “martyrdom” was not removed they could not hold their event! BUT now we are seeing the istration stating all events are booked through a student portal and is blaming it on the descriptions aspects of the portal as a way to excuse the March 4th “friends for the IDF” event BUT SPHR was threatened a cancellation PRIOR to their event if they did not remove the word martyrdom, how was the portal working then but not when it came to the March 4th event? It seems the university has double standards for Jewish students over Palestinian/Arab/Muslim students which ultimately causes further tensions between student bodies on campus! It is beyond shameful that the istration has made the Palestinian/Arab/Muslim students feel disrespected to not even acknowledge that martyrdom is a religious word in Islam, not a violent word that incites violence, the university needs to show the same respect and dignity to these students as all students are shown! The university and AMS need to formally condemn/acknowledge and publicly apologize for the March 4th bake sale, especially after hundreds were killed in Gaza just days before in the “flour massacre” by the same people they were raising money for! These double standards need to STOP and any student mocking or belittling other students needs to face academic discipline, as all universities are responsible to provide an equitable and safe space for ALL students! Lastly, the comment from the Rabi was disheartening and a typical Zionist reply, shame!
I.W. Bardyn
This was a fair and informative article. Covering events in Canada about the war in Gaza is a true challenge. The journal’s coverage may help reach an understanding by both sides that may lead to an exit door out of this painful and cruel tragedy. The journalist did her job well.
Matthew
Yara Hussein’s quote makes it clear that the anti-Israel side blatantly ignores, or more likely actually s, the hundreds of people who have torn down the posters showing kidnapped babies, women, and civilians!! (NOT JUST KIDNAPPED ISRAELIS). I agree that maybe Queen’s shouldn’t allow events for armies, but there seems to be some attempts here to shut down free speech and suppress the Jewish voice which is a consistent theme in the recent rise of anti-semitism in the Western world… again.