Respected former BC Jewish Senator Jack Austin weighs in on Trudeau-Israel debate

A few years ago, when the short lived Sun TV Network debuted, I was asked to do an interview with program show host Ezra Levant. I first met Levant many years ago when I was working for the Canadian Jewish Congress and he was a university student supporting the then Reform Party.

Well I was not particularly pleased when I called Levant as requested by the Sun TV Network and he slammed the phone down on me, indicating it was not a good time to talk. I subsequently told their media rep I would not call him a second time.

Why do I bring up Ezra Levant?  Read on please.

Last week Gabriel Erem, publisher of the splashy Lifestyles Magazine, sent a letter out by mass email which basically attacked Liberal leader Justin Trudeau as being anti-Israel. He was in fact responding to an invitation by Toronto pharmaceutical giant Barry Sherman and his wife Honey to a cocktail featuring the presence of Trudeau and a local candidate.

Sherman took Erem’s arguments down pretty well as I documented on this blog. Some people are suggesting that Erem in fact lifted all of his arguments from  an article penned by  Levant in 2013 (April 27, Toronto Sun) .  

My blog clearly made it all the way to Vancouver  as  Esther Chetner, a retired lawyer, philanthropist and past president of the Jewish Community Centre, made these points:  “Mr Erem states that Trudeau's senior policy advisor is Omar Alghabra.  To the best of my knowledge, that is simply untrue.  I could be wrong, but I think Trudeau's senior policy advisors are:  Gerald Butts, Katie Telford, Dan Gagnier.  Plus he has an MP Advisory Committee. Omar Alghabra has no role in creating Liberal Party policy, and has no role in Justin Trudeau's campaign. He was a one-time MP, defeated in both 2008 and 2011.  Yes, he is running again in this election, in Mississauga, as the Liberal candidate. By portraying Alghabra as Trudeau's "senior policy advisor," Erem is insinuating guilt by association – and Alghabra is simply not in a position of influence as described by Erem. As I understand it, all members of the Liberal Party are allowed to make their opinions known, and all are asked to allow others to be heard — and of course not all will necessarily agree with each other. Attack letters such as Mr Erem's are an attempt to tap into people's emotional insecurities.  Most of us simply are not experts in all the details of recent political history; but reading a slanted version can sure plant the seeds of doubt.”

Jack Austin

Esther, still troubled by the earlier volley of vitriol,  asked Jack Austin to weigh in.  Austin was a cabinet minister in the Pierre Trudeau and Paul Martin governments, recognized as an effective, principled Senator representing BC for many productive years.  He is said to have tremendous experience and wisdom, both nationally and internationally – and is eminently respected for his intelligence and balanced reason. Austin is a committed, engaged Jew and supporter of Israel, and a rational secularist. Over the years, he has met with most Israeli leaders, and he keeps his eyes closely on what is happening in that part of the world.  

“It is abundantly clear that there is an organized anti Trudeau campaign underway by elements in the community who support Harper and see  every part of the Israel question in black and white,” Austin states.  "No behavior that fails to conform to their belief system is acceptable.  On this issue there is no other way of seeing what is in Israel's interest except through the lens of Harper and Netanyahu.

“I suppose Herzog is a traitor as well as Livni. Obama who has given Israel more material support than any President before him is ‘leading Israel to the ovens.’ Eight former heads of Mossad who support the deal on Iran are presumably selling Israel down the river. It is untrue that Justin Trudeau takes his position from his brother Sacha or from any one individual, Jew or Muslim. To be a Liberal or liberal is to reject the reptilian instinct which leads to permanent confrontation with all its consequences, and to seek dialogue and the chances that over time the role of engagement will lead to the diminishment of threat.

“Justin is absolutely on side with the right of Israel to live in peace behind secure and defendable borders. He has visited Israel twice and held discussions with many Israeli's including Peres, whose advice he takes seriously.  It is the Liberal Party that designated Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaida, as terrorist organizations, not the Conservative Party. This has not changed.

“When China was fostering revolution in South-East Asia it became the strategy of the Western nations to show China that it was in its interest to engage with the West and become a member of the world community. Pierre Trudeau, Richard Nixon and others set out the terms and in spite of many issues of human rights, espionage, border and maritime challenges, etc. the decision was to give  China its place in the UN as a base to a secure working relationship.  There were many critics then and many remain and they have cause, but engagement is the only way forward , with all its difficulties.

“In policy terms, we cannot threaten Iran, for example, into succumbing to the world community on Israel or on any issue.  There is no example outside total war and unconditional surrender where this happens. And the world, including the people of Israel, are not prepared for that price.

“The Middle East is a bloody place for sure and Israel must remain vigilant.  But Israel needs friends in the international community to get out of the present trap it is in.  A trap that sees no change at any time in its current situation.  Israel needs change it can live with.  Canada under all Liberal leaders to date has sought to aid in that change, one step at a time. Before Rabin's assassination, by a Jew representing an absolutist position well known in today's Israeli and Jewish diaspora, there was modest progress.  Today nothing, and without the friends of Israel in the world community, tomorrow nothing.

“I wonder whether the advocates of myopia on Israel would like to see their views displayed to the Canadian public?  Would that serve to make the Israel issue more popular with Canadians?  I wonder.  Neither the Liberal Party nor the NDP want to make Israel an election issue, which would only harden its adversarial nature.  This is not in Israel's interest or that of Canada's Jewish community.  Harper has done enough damage already in pursuit of his political objectives, not only to co-opt Jewish voters but more important his own fundamentalist Christian base.

“Attacking leaders of the Jewish community as ‘traitors’ to Israel shows totally the emotional base for the hostility held by those zealots.  Attacking Canadian political leaders who are friends and supporters of Israel will serve  to have only negative value to all of us. Remember the attacks for partisan purposes by the Conservatives and their supporters in the Jewish community on Irwin Cottler, even charging that he was anti Semetic. How far are they prepared to go? Israel has no greater friend than Cottler and he is a Liberal. Is he now again a traitor?

“I end this at the beginning.  There is a well-developed campaign within this election period to stampede Jews into voting for Harper.  This is regardless of the costs to the cohesion of the community or its longer term interests, including those of Israel.  Taken to its logical conclusion, no Jew should be a member of the Liberal party, no Jew such as Levitt should run for the Liberal party, the Liberal party should not exist.  That is the conclusion of the article you forwarded [something in Times of Israel].  No discussion – no debate – no rationality – pure ideology!"

I went door to door last week with Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Anthony Housefather, the Liberal candidate in Mount Royal. Many had seen the Erem letter and believed what was said. Once they got all of the facts, they changed their position. For them, Erem`s tactics backfired and actually turned them against the Tories – despite all if the good things Stephen Harper has done for Israel.

I asked some people this question: If Justin Trudeau had any anti-Israel position, do you really think families as respected as the Bronfmans would back him? That about says it all.

See this excellent piece in The Montreal Gazette by voter Michael Hollander and why he will not vote Conservative.