K A S H R U T . C O M_©

U of Toronto student union apologizes for kosher food ruling

November 18, 2019 - from Arutz 7 :

"The Graduate Student Union at the University of Toronto has apologized for “unintentionally caus(ing) harm toward the Jewish community” after a union official suggested that the executive board would not support a campaign by the school’s Hillel to make kosher food available on campus since it is 'pro-Israel.'"

"The union’s External Commissioner in response to a Jewish graduate student’s request for the union to officially support the Kosher Forward Campaign suggested he student union’s Executive Committee might be reluctant to bring such a motion forward to its board of directors since Hillel is “pro-Israel” and that supporting it would go against the 'will of the membership.'"

"The Graduate Student Union voted in 2012 to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement against Israel."

"The statement notes that no official decision has been made on whether to bring the motion forward at the next board meeting."

"The union said it has reached out to Hillel and the student who received the email 'to request a meeting to discuss how to remedy harm and how to mitigate future harm towards Jewish students on campus.'"

"In response, the U of T Hillel said it appreciates the student union’s apology and its agreement to consider the kosher food motion but added that 'this apology does not address the anti-Semitic nature of their original response. This is the core issue that must be discussed.'"

Graduate student union in Toronto: Kosher food is 'pro-Israel'

November 17, 2019 - from Arutz 7 :

"A University Toronto student union refused to support a campaign by the school’s Hillel to make kosher food available on campus since it is 'pro-Israel'"

"The Graduate Student Union told a Jewish student representing Hillel in requesting support for its 'Kosher Forward' campaign in an email that supporting the kosher food campaign would go against the 'will of the membership,' Hillel said in a statement alleging discrimination on the part of the student union."

"The Graduate Student Union voted in 2012 to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS movement against Israel."

"The Graduate Student Union at University of Toronto is the only student union in Canada with a committee dedicated to promoting the BDS movement, according to B’nai Brith of Canada. A complaint against this BDS committee has been pending before the university’s Complaint and Resolution Council for Student Societies for over six months."

"On Sunday, B’nai Brith of Canada wrote to officials at the university, asking them to swiftly condemn the Graduate Student Union’s stance on the kosher food initiative, ensure that the complaint against the GSU BDS Committee is expedited, and work to make kosher food more accessible on campus."