Tensions between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel students have escalated following a speaker event hosted by Hillel Queen’s.
Under the umbrella of Hillel Ontario, Hillel Queen’s, a community-oriented organization that s Jewish students, organized an event titled “My October 7th: A Druze-Israeli Experience” to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The speaker, Nohad Mansour, a Druze-Israeli, shared his experiences during a public interview with Hillel’s Director, Yos Tarshish.
Before the event occurred, student-run advocacy group Cops Off Campus Ontario (COCO) expressed concerns on Instagram about “the prospect of inviting a representative from a military body actively facilitating a genocide in Gaza and the illegal invasion of Lebanon,” COCO wrote. The group called on the AMS and the University to condemn the event and to re-examine their policies regarding “racism, colonialism, and white supremacy on campus.”
READ MORE: Protestors gather at City Hall to call attention to Gaza and Lebanon
According to COCO, this isn’t the first time an event like this one has been held on campus. On March 4, Chabad Kingston held a sanctioned fundraiser for the “Friends of Israeli Defense Forces” (IDF). This event, which ed IDF soldiers’ humanitarian needs rather than weaponry, raised funds by selling babkas in the Queen’s Centre, as stated in a March statement sent to The Journal by Rabbi Sruly Simon.
The event is part of a week-long “Commemorating October 7” initiative organized by Hillel Queen’s, Chabad Kingston, Run for Their Lives Kingston, and other organizations. In a statement to The Journal, Tarshish emphasized Hillel valued being clear about their perspectives on the events that have unfolded since its announcement.
“We value the opportunity to set the record straight, especially when so much misinformation has been deliberately spread by certain off-campus activist groups who, quite frankly, seem more interested in vilifying Jewish students than engaging in a genuine conversation,” Tarshish said in a statement to The Journal.
Tarshish clarified Hillel Queen’s wasn’t the host or organizer of the event. He said the focus was on Mansour, who has deep family ties to Kingston, and refuted claims that the event endorses any military or political stance. According to him, Mansour’s service in the IDF is a requirement for many Israelis and doesn’t define his character.
The University maintains a neutral stance on geopolitical issues, as noted in a recent statement by Principal Patrick Deane. In response to COCO’s concerns, the AMS clarified that the event hadn’t been submitted for approval and, therefore, wasn’t an AMS-sanctioned event.
READ MORE: Patrick Deane establishes guidelines on institutional responses to global events
“The AMS and the AMS Clubs Commission takes the event sanctioning process very seriously. Through internal review, we can confirm that none of these events have been submitted to the AMS Campus Affairs Commission for sanctioning,” the AMS stated in a comment under COCO’s Instagram post.
Tarshish noted the timing of the criticism, pointing out that just one day after the anniversary of Oct. 7, Hillel Queen’s, an AMS ratified club, is facing potential sanctions from the AMS. He described this as a troubling irony and a reminder of the ongoing fight against antisemitism.
“It’s a stark reminder that the fight against antisemitism remains as relevant today as ever. We are proud to have served the Jewish student community of Queen’s since 1940, and we will continue to do so despite these unwarranted and frankly disgraceful attacks on our legitimacy,” Tarshish said.
The AMS clarified in a statement to The Journal that the potential sanctions aren’t punitive but rather a routine enforcement of club policy that applies to all ratified clubs or faculty societies promoting unsanctioned events. The sanctions in question are currently only a warning to Hillel Queen’s, which arose after the club used its official Instagram and logo to promote events that had not been submitted for AMS approval.
Regardless of a club’s level of participation in the planning of an event, the promotion of the event using a ratified club’s name, logo, or social media s associates the event with the club. This requires that all such events, whether on- or off-campus, go through the AMS sanctioning process. The AMS reiterated that their policy applies equally to all ratified clubs, which cannot promote unsanctioned events using official communication channels.
COCO rejected accusations of antisemitism directed at Palestinian students and faculty in their Instagram post, stating that equating Palestinian resistance and solidarity with antisemitism overlooks the importance of resistance movements among Indigenous communities globally.
“Yet, our struggle is intertwined, and our liberation is inevitable,” COCO said in their post.
Corrections
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the nature of the AMS’ Instagram comment. The AMS is an apolitical organization, and its comment was intended solely to clarify that the event in question hadn’t been submitted for approval and was therefore not AMS-sanctioned. Incorrect information appeared in the Oct. 11 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
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].
Matthew
As an alumnus, I would never proudly tell anyone that I went to Queen’s U unless it’s accompanied by an “I wish it didn’t become so antisemetic though”. The people are ignorant and hateful, and as a Jew, I am ashamed to see my former University turn out this way.