Official Records for 4 May 1987
L004 – Mon 4 May 1987 / Lun 4 mai 1987
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
Prayers.
ISRAEL’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
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Mr. Shymko: I join the member for Parkdale (Mr. Ruprecht) in the remarks he has just expressed on this very important anniversary. Those of us who watch television, recently — last night, I know — have seen the celebrations as they were celebrated by the citizens of Israel. This was a moment of sadness and a moment of joy.
First and foremost, the celebrations were those of remembrance as we watched mothers and relatives in the various cemeteries praying for those who laid down their lives so that some day the Jewish people would be blessed with the right to live in their homeland. Following those moments of sadness and sorrow began the celebration of joy that, indeed, this struggle of so many centuries, of millennia, had finally been accomplished and achieved.
On this very special day, honourable members will remember it was almost three and a half years ago when this Legislature unanimously passed a resolution that I had the honour of introducing, making this proclamation a reality. As I have always stressed, all of us want to say that the Premier (Mr. Peterson) of this government of this province follows a tradition established in the past, which hopefully will be continued in history by all governments of this province, to remember these very special days of independence, so that the independence anniversary of Israel and what it symbolizes and signifies will be repeated every year in this House.
We are reminded of the tragic Holocaust of the Jewish people at this moment, at this time of this celebration. Never again should this horror be repeated. We are reminded again of the right of the people of Israel to live in a free homeland: a right that cannot be questioned, a right that is inalienable. We are reminded also of the efforts for peace in that region, a region that symbolizes and is the cradle of the three major religions today. We certainly wish the present government success in obtaining that peace so that Jerusalem continues to be a centre of prayer for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.
As a member of the Ontario Legislature Committee on Soviet Jewry — many of us belong to this organization — I am also mindful of the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews who are still fighting today for the very fundamental right to be able to live in the homeland of their ancestors. This is why we must remind ourselves as legislators and as lawmakers that these efforts must continue, notwithstanding some negotiations that presently are under way to make change, and I hope to see some change, in the policies of the present government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
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I would like to quote some statements and concerns that I know all of us have received from Jeanette Goldman, the chairman of the Committee for Soviet Jewry, statements that were echoed when we gave the lda Nudel Award as we do every year, reminding ourselves that: “Soviet Jewry comprises 20 per cent of world Jewry. It is two thirds of European Jewry. That a people, which lost one third of itself a generation ago” — through the Holocaust — “simply cannot allow the disappearance of another 20 per cent in our time, is self-evident.” It is self-evident to all of us but, unfortunately, it is not self-evident to Canadians generally and to many peoples in the world.
Since 1969, more than 260,000 Jews have been rescued or allowed to leave; but others, namely, the 400,000 who have indicated their desire to leave, to emigrate and to settle in their homeland, are denied this right. They are persecuted, fired from their jobs and many are incarcerated in prisons and concentration camps. Their struggle continues and their rights are being denied. We are indeed racing against time.
I would like to quote from the words that have been printed and passed in thousands of copies to all of us: “Vulnerable to dismissal from their jobs once they have submitted their documents to the visa office, Jews trying to emigrate” are constantly threatened by other laws, called redundancy laws, which encourage the firing of individuals from various managerial positions. Another statute was tightened recently so that a person out of work for only two months can be tried as a parasite of the state. Those applying to leave are thus being forced into a no-win, catch-22 situation in which the likelihood of imprisonment has intensified.
We are reminded of Josif Begun against whom a most unsettling verdict was levied. This one-time mathematician, who became a qualified but unlicensed Hebrew teacher, was sentenced to seven years in a labour camp and five years of internal exile for anti-Soviet agitation. We are reminded of Ida Nudel. We rejoice with Anatoly Shcharansky’s release. We could go on and on, but we must remember that anti-Semitism, which unfortunately permeates the policies of that particular state, must be reflected upon today.
An appeal was issued, for example, by an organization called the Anti-Zionist Committee for a massive propaganda effort aimed at the political unmasking of Zionism. Just listen to what these people are saying today in the Soviet Union:
“Lifted from a notorious Czarist forgery” — this committee officially sanctioned by the government of the USSR — “the propaganda drive thinly masked anti-Semitism by calling Judaism the source of `Zionist evil;’ the Torah and the Talmud are described as works preaching racism….” Imagine that; they are described as works preaching hatred and violence by this committee sanctioned and officially supported by the government of the Soviet Union.
“In a particularly vicious attack, Anti-Zionist Committee chairman David Dragunsky dubbed Zionism a `man-hating ideology’ based on the `ideas and methods of Hitler.'” Can you imagine this as being said publicly, printed today by a state which sanctions that?
We must talk about it. We cannot be silent, because this is happening today. We must support not only any attempt at peace in the region of the Middle East but also attempts by all members of Legislatures in this free society and in the Parliament of our nation in Ottawa for the release of those who want to live in freedom in their homeland.
I want to conclude by saying that in welcoming the consul general of Israel and the representatives of all the organizations of the Jewish community in this province, we hope that the example set by the Premier and by this House in having this official proclamation will be followed by other provinces and some day, I hope, by our federal government and the House of Commons of the Parliament in Ottawa.
