This report looks at the problem of political advertising on TheJ.ca, a Website which regularly publishes racist content. CJPME has found advertisements on this website on behalf of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and other politicians at the federal, provincial, and municipal level, as well as a variety of businesses and non-profits. The Website's content discredits Black civil rights movements, disability activists, Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and Indigenous claims, including articles claiming that some ethnic groups “matter more” than others. The report calls on these politicians to discontinue advertising on this website and issue formal statements distancing themselves from its abhorrent views.
Click here to access the full report
Please click here to view screenshots of political advertisements on TheJ.ca.
Please click here to view screenshots of business and non-profit advertisements on TheJ.ca.
Executive Summary
An investigation by CJPME has found that many of Canada’s most prominent politicians have sponsored paid advertisements on a Website called TheJ.ca, which regularly hosts racist content. TheJ.ca hosts content which has discredited Black civil rights movements, disability activists, Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and Indigenous claims. The Website contributors also frequently suggest that there is a hierarchy of ethnic groups, whereby some ethnic groups are more worthy than others, and other ethnic groups are inherently backward, violent or racist.
In an example of some of the most vile content on the website, TheJ.ca published a column last year titled “Jewish Lives Matter MORE,” which asserted that some ethnic groups are worth more than others, “because their existence contributes more to the public good than the lives of other ethnic groups.” This columnist resurrects social Darwinism by adding, “Maybe there is an element of survival of the fittest at work.” Another columnist attempts to smear the Black Lives Matter movement by stating, “Black Lives Matter is a far-left, anti-white, anti-capitalist, anti-family revolutionary movement with openly expressed aims of destroying Western culture and society.” Another column mocks Indigenous land acknowledgements, while a column targeting Arabs affirms a view that they “must embrace modernity” or risk reverting to “tribal desert primitivism.”
Another significant theme in the content published in TheJ.ca is anti-Palestinian racism. Authors deny Palestinian indigeneity and culture, and describe Palestinians as the “enemy within” and as a “cancer” that must be “removed.” One columnist scorns those who mourned the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces last year, writing “excuse me if I don’t sit shiva for her.”
The most prominent federal politicians known to have advertised on TheJ.ca include Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, along with his deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman. Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs has also advertised on TheJ.ca. Provincially, Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, as well as other leaders in the Ontario government have advertised on TheJ.ca. These include Michael S. Kerzner, Solicitor General, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Michael Parsa, Minster of Children, Community and Social Services.
Several Canadian businesses and non-profit organizations have also chosen to advertise on TheJ.ca.
The racist content on TheJ.ca spans the entire life of the publication, going back to the media outlet’s origins in May 2020. The contributors to TheJ.ca often seem to have no credentials on the topics they address, but uniting them is their passionate support for views which frequently denigrate Blacks, Indigenous people, the disabled, Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians, and which frequently descend to outright racist views.
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms may give TheJ.ca the right to publish such views. Nevertheless, this report recommends that all Canadian politicians, non-profits, and businesses immediately discontinue all advertising on TheJ.ca, and make public statements distancing themselves from TheJ.ca. Failing to do so will inevitably tie these individuals and organizations to the shameful views expressed on TheJ.ca.
Anti-Black Racism on TheJ.ca
Some of the most offensive racist commentary on TheJ.ca was directed against Black Canadians.
In his article, “Jewish Lives Matter MORE,”[1] Max Roytenberg argues that Jewish lives and the contributions of Jewish immigrants matter more than the lives and contributions of other communities – and specifically the Black community. Through his piece, he makes several highly offensive assertions at the expense of the Black community and other unnamed “ethnic groups.” Apparently, according to Roytenberg, one’s value to society is based on one’s industry and economic contribution, not on the inherent value of human life:
Jewish lives not only matter, but they matter more. Why? They matter more because their existence contributes more to the public good than the lives of other ethnic groups.
It is no secret that even before these times Jews were valued as immigrants to help stimulate business activity in moribund economies.[2]
Roytenberg even resurrects century-old ideas from social Darwinism, asserting about the Jews:
Maybe there is an element of survival of the fittest at work.[3]
In another piece, “Blacks And Jews In America: A Canadian’s View,”[4] Roytenberg expresses consternation that Black American activists have found common cause with other victims of racism and discrimination around the world. Roytenberg portrays this common identification as a type of betrayal:
It’s not merely ironic for American Jews to discover today that elements of the Black American community are in league with those who are working against Jewish interests and are seeking to uproot the Jewish state, the sole haven in the world for displaced Jewry.[5]
Roytenberg seemingly gives Jewish people credit for any advances towards racial justice in America, suggesting that Black Americans have, in effect, bitten the hand that feeds. For him, Black Americans owe a debt to Jewish people in America – to be repaid in unconditional support for the State of Israel:
After a history in America wherein Jews have expended untold blood and treasure to achieve justice for Black Americans, growing hostility towards Israel and Zionists appears to be the reward.[6]
For Melanie Philips in her piece, “Junking the Jews Is Behind Our Current Hobbesian Nightmare,”[7] Black Lives Matter (BLM) is problematic because it’s a form of “reverse discrimination,” whereby the ultimate victims are white:
Now look at the anti-white racism that openly parades itself in America and Britain. The very idea of ‘white privilege,’ damning an entire ethnic group for its alleged evil behavior and attitudes, is racist.[8]
According to Philips, BLM is not a movement for more equitable treatment of Black people in society, but rather an attack on society itself:
Black Lives Matter is a far-left, anti-white, anti-capitalist, anti-family revolutionary movement with openly expressed aims of destroying Western culture and society.[9]
But for Brandy Shufutinsky, in her piece, “Why Did BLM Hop On The BDS Wagon? Follow The Money,”[10] criticizing the calls of BLM alone was not enough. For her, BLM was a vehicle to exploit public sympathy for “Black pain” in exchange for money:
Someone at Black Lives Matter decided time was running out on their ability to profit off of Black pain, and adopted the UNRWA[11] money making playbook.[12]
The attitude that Black activists are simply profiting off the sympathy for their plight is a common one expressed on TheJ.ca. In another article by Melanie Philips, “Don’t Identify Jews With ‘White Imperialism’,”[13] she writes that Black rage “seizes its opportunity from the perceived weakness of the white oppressor, even when there is no injustice.”[14] Philips continues, “Black rage started rising in America after the great civil-rights victories were won in the ’60s. White guilt then made racism into ’a valuable currency for black Americans.’ It gave them a political identity with no real purpose, except the manipulation of white guilt.”[15]
Philips implies elsewhere in her article that were Black people to have tighter family relationships, they might have fared better in society, since “minorities such as the Jews, Indians or Chinese, are most successful because of their strong, traditional family lives.”[16]
In his recent article, “Weak Sarah Jama ‘Apology’ Accepted By Weak Jewish Community ‘Leaders’”[17] Marty Gold sarcastically mocks Black civil rights activist Sarah Jama, calling her “a poster girl for all ‘oppressed’ societal groups” (note the quotation marks). Gold also questions Jama’s credentials as a disability rights advocate, despite the fact that Jama is Executive Director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario.[18] Jama, who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility, is described by Gold as “a ‘disability rights advocate’ […] who hates cops, Jews and Israel” (note the quotation marks).
The above is just a small portion of the anti-Black and anti-BLM racism that one can find on TheJ.ca. TheJ.ca has clearly become a haven for harmful prejudices, attitudes, and stereotypes about Black Canadians and civil rights movements.
Anti-Indigenous Racism at TheJ.ca
TheJ.ca’s commentators regularly downplay the gravity of European colonialism and dispossession of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
In “What Those Who Accept The ‘Stolen Land’ Myth Don’t Understand,”[19] Jonathan S. Tobin starts off by mocking an increasingly common tradition of Indigenous land acknowledgements at public gatherings in North America (note Tobin’s use of quotes):
One of the tragicomic if all too prevalent customs of contemporary woke corporate culture is the way many groups and corporations now open meetings with ritual acknowledgments that they are on “stolen land.”
[…] This [idea of “stolen land”] is a commonplace myth spread by those who believe in intersectional ideology, which deems the efforts of all oppressed “people of color” to resist the racist oppression of those possessing “white privilege” to be part of one great righteous struggle.[20]
In addition to mocking Indigenous recognition, Tobin argues that what European settlers did to Indigenous peoples was no different in scale or severity than the typical inter-tribal rivalry that existed before the Europeans arrived:
With respect to North America, it’s true that the Native American tribes that lived on the continent were dispossessed by the Europeans who began arriving there 500 years ago.
[…] Cynics with perhaps a better understanding of the history of these tribes than those who proclaim their devotion to their memory might also point out that those “indigenous peoples” themselves waged war continuously on each other. Many of the “sacred lands” that some tribes now claim were once sacred to other tribes who were defeated, dispossessed and slaughtered, much in the same manner that white Europeans would ultimately do to them.[21]
Tobin carries on this ‘why make such a big deal of it’ attitude when he goes on to assert that European colonialism was just humans being humans, and claims that it is modern-day revisionism to suggest that it was “immoral”:
The notion that this process of dispossession was immoral rather than merely the way groups of human beings had always interacted with each other since time immemorial—with the strong subjugating the weak—was a modern invention that didn’t become widely accepted until the late 20th century.[22]
Note Tobin’s off-hand “with the strong subjugating the weak” comment which, like Roytenberg’s comments about Blacks, again suggests a social Darwinist slant.
Islamophobia and anti-Arab Racism on TheJ.ca
Commentators for TheJ.ca also seem intent on repeating and entrenching Islamophobic tropes. For example, TheJ.ca printed the following “Letter to the editor” from someone who was so suspicious of Arabs and Muslims that he feared that his visit to the local Falafel shop was funding Islamic terror. Under a heading titled, “Immigration from antisemitic places,” the letter reads:
Why I hesitate to go into even a Falafel place. I don’t know where some of the money will go. When one scratches beneath the surface it is always there. Islamic immigration into the west for those fleeing intolerable conditions to make a new life can bring with it poisonous attitudes that affect our daily life and may be behind the upsurge we see in racist actions we are seeing in many places.[23]
TheJ.ca seems happy to print such a screed, which suggests that Muslims poison Canadian society, and may themselves be the cause of increasing racism in Canada.
As in the comment above, many who engage in Islamophobia make no distinction between Arabs and Muslims, although many Arabs are not Muslims and most Muslims are not Arabs.
In her article, “The Emergence Of Arab Zionism?,”[24] Melanie Philips cites a number of “Arabs” who have seemingly concluded that embracing Israeli modernity is the key to societal salvation for the Arab/Muslim world. In her contempt for Arab/Muslim/Gulf societies, Philips affirms a view that “The Arabs must embrace modernity because the Islamist alternative will return them to tribal desert primitivism.”[25]
Anti-Arab racism is rampant on TheJ.ca, and parrots some of the other forms of racism present on the website. In a curious article entitled, “Why Kurdish Women Are More Liberated Than Arab Women,”[26] Ashna Qader Mohammed makes a point similar to Roytenberg’s “Jewish Lives Matter MORE” article:
[Kurdish women] work harder than other Muslim countries. In general, they have many obvious qualities that have made Kurds more important than Arabs.[27]
The author concludes regretfully that Kurdish culture was brought down by neighbouring Arab societies, suggesting that, “political, geographical, and colonial changes by neighboring countries have had an impact and caused the deterioration of [Kurdish] women’s role and position in life.”[28]
Anti-Palestinian Racism on TheJ.ca
The most pervasive form of racism present on TheJ.ca was that directed against Palestinians. The anti-Palestinian racism on TheJ.ca usually takes one of three forms: 1) trying to deny Palestinians’ indigenous links to their land and their dispossession through the Nakba, 2) painting Palestinians as inherently violent or terrorist, or 3) painting Palestinians as inherently antisemitic.
In his article, “Joe Biden Is Coming To Divide Jerusalem,”[29] Barry Shaw describes Palestinians as a “cancer,” writing, “Peace will never be possible until this Jew-hating cancer is surgically removed.”[30] Palestinians, he writes, are simply driven by hate: “It cannot be cured by appeasing these haters with money, territory, or kindness, particularly if they toss in Judea, Samaria, or Jerusalem as some sort of tempting persuasion to the unpersuadable that it’s in their interest to play nice.”[31]
Publications like TheJ.ca with a pro-Israel bias often choose not to use the words “Palestine” or “Palestinian,” preferring to refer to Palestinians as simply “Arabs,” and those who are citizens of Israel as “Israeli Arabs.” This is contrary to the recommendations of the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Arab and Middle East Journalists Association (AMEJA), who each encourage journalists not to refer to Palestinian citizens of Israel in this way.[32] [33] The IPI notes that, “There are Palestinians who prefer ‘Palestinian citizens of Israel’ because a sense of Palestinian identity is dominant among Arabs in Israel, and this term reflects their civil and national identity.”[34] Israel’s preferred use of the politicized term “Israeli Arab” is intended to downplay the “Palestinian” identity of the vast majority of the members of this group. It also intentionally downplays Palestinians’ connection with their land, and suggests that they are indistinguishable from Arabs elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa.
Ominously, in his article “The Reality For Israel Of The Palestinian Problem,”[35] Shaw presents the existence of Palestinians as a “problem” to be “solve[d],” and refers to Palestinian citizens of Israel as “the enemy within.”
Shaw concludes his column with a line which could easily be interpreted as either an incitement to violence against Palestinians, or an endorsement of perpetual oppression and apartheid: “It is time to look beyond the one-state and two-state delusions for other ways to solve the Palestinian problem.”[36]
In his article about the dispossession of the Palestinians in 1948, “What is Harvard Teaching Students About Israel?,”[37] Moshe Phillips argues against a Jewish academic who asserted that “Israel is guilty of ethnic cleansing,”:
There was no mass expulsion of the Arabs. There were a few isolated instances—as there are in every war—in which a small number of individuals were compelled to move a few miles down the road. That’s not even close to “ethnic cleansing.” […] Israel is not to blame for the refugee problem; the Arab regimes that invaded Israel in 1948 are to blame.[38]
Proponents of Israel sometimes question the legitimacy of Palestinian identity, heritage and culture, and they typically deny that Palestinians had any indigenous presence in Palestine-Israel prior to 1948.
This is the case with Ryan Bellerose, who published an article on TheJ.ca entitled, “With Jewish Indigenous Rights, Definitions Are Important.”[39] Bellerose tries to show that Palestinians have no “ancestral ties” to Palestine-Israel. “[M]erely living there a long time,” according to Bellerose, is not sufficient for Palestinians to demonstrate that they have indigenous roots to a land. He claims that Palestinians have developed a strategy to falsely claim indigenous ties to the land of Palestine-Israel:
In fact, that’s exactly the strategy of the “Palestinians” who have switched from claiming to be Philistines, to Canaanites, to Nabateans and Edomites and Jebusites. They can show no manifestations of any of these things, no cultural or linguistic connection and even the genetic connection is non-existent to tenuous.[40]
Max Roytenberg adds to the chorus of voices on TheJ.ca who want to deny any Palestinian connection to Palestine-Israel. In his article, “The Myth: Palestinians Are Indigenous!,”[41] Roytenberg builds a meandering argument – void of supporting links or references – to assert that Palestine was largely uninhabited prior to the British Mandate, and that Palestinians moved there because of the economic opportunity created by Jewish immigration.
The myth that Palestinians are indigenous has been the propaganda promulgated by Arabs ever since Jews were formally granted the right to reclaim the homeland they were driven from nearly two millennia ago. It was precisely because the territory was essentially an unpeopled land, ruled by a defeated Turkey, that the League of Nations, after WWI, saw fit to accord the country to the Jews, and handed a mandate to Britain to make it happen.
[…] In spite of the claims of many Arab nations and their institutions, all the evidence indicates that the vast majority of “Palestinians” are recent arrivals, in historical terms, whose forebears were attracted to the territory by Jewish investment and enterprise.[42]
Other contributors to TheJ.ca add to this racist discourse against Palestinians. Jerold S. Auerbach’s article, “When Arabs Became Palestinians,”[43] reflects some of the most extreme racist attitudes toward Palestinians. He cites the Bible and various historic figures – devoid of context – to weave his thesis against Palestinians.
Without a history of their own, Palestinians plundered Jewish history to define themselves. The ancient Canaanites were identified as the original “Palestinians.” So, too, were Jebusites, the biblical inhabitants of Jerusalem. Based on these fanciful claims an imaginary “Palestinian” history of 5,000 years was implanted in the Land of Israel.
Palestinians have relied upon the model of the Israeli Law of Return to claim that millions of “refugees”—fewer than 30,000 of whom are still alive—should be permitted to return to the land they abandoned in 1947-48 during the Arab war to annihilate Jews.
So it is that a people without a national history until well into the 20th century have attempted to persuade a gullible world audience that Palestinians are the rightful inheritors of Jewish history and land.[44]
In an article with an extremely inflammatory title, “The Palestinian Culture Of Violence,”[45] Mitchell Bard argues:
There remains no peace movement among Palestinians, no indication that any leader has the will or ability to negotiate any compromise (let alone the mythical two-state solution), and no desire to give up terrorism as the means to liberate Palestine from the river to the sea.
[…] I used to believe that when the founding generation of the PLO died, a new generation that grew up in “Palestine” and was not committed to Cold War-era, anti-Western Communist dogma and fantasies about a state from the river to the sea would emerge. Instead of revolutionary prattle, they would see—having lived under Israeli rule—that the best interests of their people required making compromises and agreeing to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.[46]
Scorning those who mourn the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
While the above contributors to TheJ.ca make broad racist generalizations about Palestinians, Moshe Phillips gets very specific about Palestinian-American Aljazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in his article, “Should We Mourn The Death Of An Antisemitic Journalist?”[47] Abu Akleh was shot dead while reporting in the West Bank, and multiple investigations by journalists and NGOs later determined that she was deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.[48] While Israel originally denied responsibility, it admitted several months later that it was “highly probable” that an Israeli soldier shot her.[49] [50]
The subheading of the article reads: “Excuse me if I don’t sit shiva for her,” and the first line asks provocatively, “A reporter for an openly antisemitic media network was killed this week. Should Jews mourn her death?” In a move that appears to be intended as a deliberate insult, the top of the page features a large graphic image of Shireen Abu Akleh lying face down on the ground after she had been shot by Israeli forces, with her colleague in an expression of horror.
Even though Israeli politicians had issued public statements of sympathy (but did not claim any responsibility), Phillips, writing hours after the incident, apparently viewed the slain journalist no differently than he might view a convicted murderer:
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the death of the antisemitic journalist “unfortunate” and “regrettable.” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, “I would like to express my sorrow at the loss of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.” Justice Minister Gideon Saar called her death “tragic.” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid referred to her death as “sad.”
I understand that politicians sometimes feel the need to say certain things, for political reasons, even if they are untrue. But the rest of us are not bound by politicians’ cold little calculations. So I’ll ask out loud what many of us are thinking: Is sadness really the appropriate Jewish response in this instance? Is Akleh’s demise truly “tragic”?
[…] I’m not going to pretend that she was a normal, responsible journalist whose death we should mourn. She chose to be part of what is probably the world’s largest antisemitic media network. We don’t have to honor her, or her choices.[51]
Recommendations
Ultimately, politicians who advertise on TheJ.ca inevitably convey a degree of legitimacy to the Website and its views. By advertising in this venue, they communicate that they believe that their policies and promises may be of special interest to its readers. In addition, through their advertising dollars, such politicians provide a form of funding to propagate such dangerous, false, and racist content.
CJPME recommends that any politicians currently advertising on TheJ.ca immediately end all advertising agreements, and demand that their ads be discontinued. It also recommends that politicians who have advertised with TheJ.ca in the past pledge to no longer sponsor advertisements on TheJ.ca. It also recommends that any politicians who have ever advertised on TheJ.ca, issue formal statements distancing themselves from TheJ.ca and the racist positions advanced by its contributors.
CJPME also recommends that certain government politicians who held roles of public trust when advertising on TheJ.ca consider resigning their positions. Given TheJ.ca’s rabid racism toward Palestinians, this would be especially true of any politician holding a role in Canada’s foreign affairs establishment. Advertising on a media Website which promotes openly racist views is a shameful indictment of politicians who are sworn to represent all citizens.
CJPME also recommends that legislatures – especially those with politicians who advertised on TheJ.ca – consider adopting motions condemning politicians who advertise on platforms espousing racist attitudes.
CJPME also recommends that all Canadian business and non-profit organizations that have advertised on TheJ.ca end all active advertising agreements, pledge to no longer sponsor advertisements on the site, and issue statements distancing themselves from TheJ.ca and its racist columnists.
Finally, given the prevalence of anti-Palestinian racism on TheJ.ca and across Canadian society, CJPME urges the Canadian government to adopt the ACLA’s description of anti-Palestinian racism into its national anti-racism strategy.
Canadian politicians known to have advertised on TheJ.ca
The table below lists the politicians identified by CJPME as advertising on TheJ.ca, between December 2022 and April 2023. See Appendix C for much of the corroborating screenshot evidence.[52]
|
|
Name |
Elected Role & Party Role |
Governmental Role |
Advertising |
|
1. |
Pierre Poilievre |
MP Carleton, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada |
Leader of the Official Opposition (Federal) |
April, 2023 |
|
2. |
Melissa Lantsman |
MP Thornhill |
Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition (Federal) |
December, 2022 |
|
3. |
Rob Oliphant |
MP Don Valley West |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs |
December, 2022 |
|
4. |
Leah Taylor Roy |
MP Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill |
|
April, 2023 |
|
5. |
Doug Ford |
MLA Etobicoke North (Ontario), Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario |
Premier of Ontario |
December, 2022 |
|
6. |
Michael S. Kerzner |
MLA, York Centre (Ontario) |
Solicitor General (Ontario) |
December, 2022 |
|
7. |
Stephen Lecce |
MLA, King—Vaughan (Ontario) |
Minister of Education (Ontario) |
December, 2022 |
|
8. |
Michael Parsa |
MLA, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill (Ontario) |
Minister of Children, Community and Social Services |
December, 2022 |
|
9. |
Stan Cho |
MLA, Willowdale (Ontario) |
Associate Minister of Transportation (Ontario) |
December, 2022 |
|
10. |
Robin Martin |
MLA, Eglinton—Lawrence (Ontario) |
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health |
December, 2022 |
|
11. |
Laura Smith |
MLA, Thornhill (Ontario) |
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport |
December, 2022 |
|
12. |
Daisy Wai |
MLA, Richmond Hill (Ontario) |
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility |
December, 2022 |
|
13. |
Obby Khan |
MLA, Fort Whyte (Manitoba) |
Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage |
December, 2022, April, 2023 |
|
14. |
James Pasternak |
Councillor, York Centre – Downsview (Toronto) |
City Councillor |
December, 2022 April, 2023 |
|
15. |
Sherri Rollins |
Councillor, Fort Rouge – East Fort Garry (Winnipeg) |
City Councillor |
December, 2022 |
|
16. |
Markus Chambers |
City Councillor, St. Norbert – Seine River (Winnipeg) |
Deputy Mayor (Winnipeg) |
April, 2023 |
Canadian Business and Non-Profits known to have advertised on TheJ.ca
The table below lists the Canadian businesses and non-profits identified by CJPME as advertising on TheJ.ca. See Appendix D for much of the corroborating screenshot evidence.[53]
|
|
Name |
Location |
Website |
Advertising |
|
1. |
Chesed Shel Emes |
Winnipeg, MB |
December, 2022 |
|
|
2. |
PCF Souvenirs |
Markham, ON |
April, 2023 |
|
|
3. |
Israel with Lauren |
(unspecified) |
April, 2023 |
|
|
4. |
The Mozuud Freedom Foundation |
Markham, ON |
April, 2023 |
|
|
5. |
Fabb Nails |
(unspecified) |
April, 2023 |
|
|
6. |
Character Co. Cannabis Store & Accessories |
Winnipeg, MB |
April, 2023 |
|
|
7. |
Koffler Gallery |
Toronto, ON |
April, 2023 |
|
|
8. |
Canadian Magen David Adom |
Montreal, QC |
April, 2023 |
|
|
9. |
Aid to Disabled Veterans of Israel (Canada) |
Concord, ON |
December, 2022 |
|
|
10. |
UrbanQuest |
Toronto, ON |
April, 2023
|
|
|
11. |
Jewish London Ontario |
London, ON |
April, 2023 |
Appendix A: Definitions
In 2019, the government of Canada published its national anti-racism strategy entitled, “Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022.” The document articulates several definitions of racism which are relevant in the Canadian political context of this report. These definitions included:
Anti-Black racism, defined as: “Prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement. Anti-Black racism is deeply entrenched in Canadian institutions, policies and practices, such that anti-Black racism is either functionally normalized or rendered invisible to the larger white society. Anti-Black racism is manifested in the legacy of the current social, economic, and political marginalization of African Canadians in society such as the lack of opportunities, lower socio-economic status, higher unemployment, significant poverty rates and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.”[54]
Colonialism, defined as: “A practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another. Settler colonialism — such as in the case of Canada — is the unique process where the colonizing population does not leave the territory, asserts ongoing sovereignty to the land, actively seeks to assimilate the Indigenous populations and extinguish their cultures, traditions and ties to the land.”[55]
Islamophobia, defined as: “Includes racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fear or acts of hostility directed towards individual Muslims or followers of Islam in general. In addition to individual acts of intolerance and racial profiling, Islamophobia can lead to viewing and treating Muslims as a greater security threat on an institutional, systemic and societal level.”[56]
The Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ALCA), published[57] a description of anti-Palestinian racism in May 2022 as:
…a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives. Anti-Palestinian racism takes various forms including: denying the Nakba and justifying violence against Palestinians; failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people with a collective identity, belonging and rights in relation to occupied and historic Palestine; erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians; excluding or pressuring others to exclude Palestinian perspectives, Palestinians and their allies; defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic, a terrorist threat/sympathizer or opposed to democratic values.[58]
Appendix B: Editorial Position and Organization of TheJ.ca
The “About us” link on the Website of TheJ.ca is non-functional,[59] but there is a blurb that appears near the bottom of many pages of the site entitled, “Support Jewish Journalism,” authored by TheJ.ca’s publisher, Ron East. He writes:
Thank you for choosing TheJ.ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading![60]
An article[61] in The Times of Israel from May 26, 2020 describes the launch of TheJ.ca earlier that month. TheJ.ca, along with the Canadian Jewish Record, was launched at around the same time following the closing of the longstanding Canadian Jewish News. According to the article, TheJ.ca was previously a site focused on the Jewish community of Winnipeg, with Ron East as publisher and Marty Gold as Editor-in-Chief. At its launch, East and all the other staff at TheJ.ca were volunteers.[62]
The Times of Israel describes East as being born in Jerusalem and having grown up in the Golan Heights (Israeli-occupied Syrian land) and quotes East describing TheJ.ca as “being Zionistic in our approach, and pro-Israel in our beliefs.”[63] Another article[64] about the launch of TheJ.ca published in the Jewish Independent describes East as “former pro wrestler and physical education teacher who has also been involved in publishing.”[65] According to The Times of Israel, East’s previous media experience was publishing several sports magazines, as well as a Hebrew-language newsletter for expatriate Israelis in Winnipeg.[66] When they moved to Winnipeg, East and his father, Yoram Hamizrachi East, an Israeli military commander, author and “counterterrorism expert,” apparently felt that Winnipeg’s established Jewish media organizations were “not adequately confronting anti-Israel activity.”[67]
From his own fundraising pitch on TheJ.ca and the articles about its launch, East clearly seeks to use TheJ.ca to advance right-leaning, pro-Zionist, and pro-Israel viewpoints. He is also upfront in his contempt for many other Jewish Canadian groups which he considers “biased,” “hateful” or “radicals.”
TheJ.ca is actively registered provincially in Manitoba (registry number 10062007) as a sole proprietor entity. Ron East is likely the sole proprietor of TheJ.ca, as his name and contact information are most prominently provided on TheJ.ca and its related social media accounts.
A quick scan of the material present across TheJ.ca’s Website reveals an emphasis on Canadian and Israeli news, with some international content, and articles in both English and Hebrew. Many articles and columns are re-published from other websites, including from the Jewish News Syndicate.[68] Articles focused exclusively on Canadian content can be found at https://www.thej.ca/Canada/
As expected, much of the content of TheJ.ca is not only right-leaning, but also “anti-progressive.” This is epitomized in:
- Frequent articles attacking the centre and left of Canadian politics:
- Frequent articles attacking more progressive Jewish groups, both in Canada and internationally. Often, such articles attack centrist or progressive Jews for being antisemitic themselves, or for insufficiently defending Jewish, Zionist or Israeli government interests.[71] [72] [73]
- Many articles in support of Israel’s far-right government, elected in November 2022.[74]
Certainly, there is nothing illegal or inherently offensive about hosting an electronic news Website which promotes right-wing views. Nevertheless, much of TheJ.ca’s content consists of opinion columns, and there seems to be very little in terms of editorial review of such content. Apart from the frequent typographical errors, much of the content contains racist attitudes, is vague, unclear, or meandering. Ultimately, much of the most objectionable content of TheJ.ca is found in its many opinion pieces.
It is important to point out that CJPME’s review of the content in TheJ.ca was by no means comprehensive. Objectionable content was identified in a largely ad hoc manner, and only articles in English were examined for racist attitudes.
Appendix C: Screenshots of Politicial Advertisements on TheJ.ca
Please click here to view screenshots of political advertisements on TheJ.ca.
Appendix D: Screenshots of Business and Non-Profit Advertisements on TheJ.ca
Please click here to view screenshots of business and non-profit advertisements on TheJ.ca.
Appendix E: Articles Cited for Report
Please click here for a capture of the articles cited in this report.
___
[1] Roytenberg, Max, “Jewish Lives Matter MORE,” TheJ.ca, May 19, 2022, accessed on April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/05/19/jewish-lives-matter-more/
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Roytenberg, Max, “Blacks And Jews In America: A Canadian’s View,” TheJ.ca, July 26, 2020, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/07/26/blacks-and-jews-in-america-a-canadians-view/
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Philips, Melanie, “Junking the Jews Is Behind Our Current Hobbesian Nightmare,” TheJ.ca, June 28, 2020, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/06/28/junking-the-jews-is-behind-our-current-hobbesian-nightmare/
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Shufutinsky, Brandy, “Why Did BLM Hop On The BDS Wagon? Follow The Money,” TheJ.ca, Dec. 15, 2021, access April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2021/12/15/why-did-blm-hop-on-the-bds-wagon-follow-the-money/
[11] UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, an agency that funds primarily education and health care for registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Philips, Melanie, “Don’t Identify Jews With ‘White Imperialism’,” TheJ.ca, June 21, 2020, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/06/21/dont-identify-jews-with-white-imperialism/
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Gold, Marty, “Weak Sarah Jama “Apology” Accepted By Weak Jewish Community “Leaders”,” TheJ.ca, March 22, 2023, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/03/22/weak-sarah-jama-apology-accepted-by-weak-jewish-community-leaders/
[18] “Sarah Jama for Hamilton Centre,” Ontario NDP, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.sarahjama.ca/
[19] Tobin, Jonathan S., “What Those Who Accept The ‘Stolen Land’ Myth Don’t Understand,” TheJ.ca, January 26, 2022, access April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/01/26/what-those-who-accept-the-stolen-land-myth-dont-understand/
[20] Ibid.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Gold, Marty, “Letters To The Editor,” TheJ.ca, August 2, 2020, access April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/08/02/letters-to-the-editor-2/
[24] Philips, Melanie, “The Emergence Of Arab Zionism?,” TheJ.ca, January 20, 2020, access April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/01/20/the-emergence-of-arab-zionism/
[25] Ibid.
[26] Mohammed, Ashna Qader, “Why Kurdish Women Are More Liberated Than Arab Women,” TheJ.ca, March 16, 2022, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/03/16/why-kurdish-women-are-more-liberated-than-arab-women/
[27] Ibid.
[28] Ibid.
[29] Shaw, Barry, “Joe Biden Is Coming To Divide Jerusalem,” TheJ.ca, May 26, 2022, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/05/26/joe-biden-is-coming-to-divide-jerusalem/
[30] Ibid.
[31] Ibid.
[32] See “Use With Care: Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” International Press Institute, Oct. 23, 2013, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://ipi.media/use-with-care-reporters-glossary-of-loaded-language-in-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/
[33] See “Tips and resources for covering issues related to Israel and Palestine,” The Arab and Middle East Journalists Association, May 24, 2021, accessed on April 8, 2023 at https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-and-resources-covering-issues-related-israel-and-palestine
[34] Ibid., “Use With Care: Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”
[35] Shaw, Barry, “The Reality For Israel Of The Palestinian Problem,” TheJ.ca, February 1, 2023, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/02/01/the-reality-for-israel-of-the-palestinian-problem/
[36] Ibid.
[37] Phillips, Moshe, “What is Harvard Teaching Students About Israel?,” TheJ.ca, May 19, 2022
[38] Ibid.
[39] Bellerose, Ryan, “With Jewish Indigenous Rights, Definitions Are Important,” TheJ.ca, July 29. 2020, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/07/29/with-jewish-indigenous-rights-definitions-are-important/
[40] Ibid.
[41] Roytenberg, Max, “The Myth: Palestinians Are Indigenous!,” TheJ.ca, December 10, 2020, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2020/12/10/the-myth-palestinians-are-indigenous/
[42] Ibid.
[43] Auerbach, Jerold S., “When Arabs Became Palestinians,” TheJ.ca, May 26, 2022, access April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/05/26/when-arabs-became-palestinians/
[44] Ibid.
[45] Bard, Mitchell, “The Palestinian Culture Of Violence,” TheJ.ca, June 24, 2021, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2021/06/24/the-palestinian-culture-of-violence/
[46] Ibid.
[47] Phillips, Moshe, “Should We Mourn The Death Of An Antisemitic Journalist?,” TheJ.ca, May 11, 2022, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2022/05/11/should-we-mourn-the-death-of-an-antisemitic-journalist/
[48] See CJPME Factsheet No. 255, “The Assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, May 2022, https://www.cjpme.org/fs_225; Forensic Architecture and Al-Haq, “Shireen Abu Akleh: The Extrajudicial Killing of a Journalist,” September 20, 2022, https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/shireen-abu-akleh-the-targeted-killing-of-a-journalist
[49] Kubovich, Yaniv et al, “Israeli Military Admits 'Highly Probable' Soldier Mistakenly Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” Ha’aretz, Sept. 5, 2022, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-09-05/ty-article/.premium/israel-admits-highly-probable-soldier-mistakenly-killed-journalist-shireen-abu-akleh/00000183-0c94-dd51-ada7-6eff54180000
[50] While Israel did make the admission that it was “highly probable” that an Israeli soldier shot Abu Akleh, it also dubiously claimed that she could have been mistakenly shot in cross-fire – something which has been definitively ruled out by several other independent investigations.
[51] Ibid., “Should We Mourn The Death Of An Antisemitic Journalist?”
[52] Because of document size limitations, some of the corroborating screenshot evidence is omitted from this document. For the comprehensive list of screenshots of politicians advertising on TheJ.ca, see the Weblink, https://www.cjpme.org/legitimizing_hate_politicians
[53] Because of document size limitations, some of the corroborating screenshot evidence is omitted from this document. For the comprehensive list of screenshots of politicians advertising on TheJ.ca, see the Weblink, https://www.cjpme.org/legitimizing_hate_businesses
[54] “BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022,” p. 22
[55] “BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022,” p. 22
[56] “BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022,” p. 23
[57] “Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations,” Arab Canadian Lawyers Association, May, 2022, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.canarablaw.org/
[58] Ibid.
[59] The top menu on TheJ.ca’s Website provides four links: one for the home page, one to subscribe to the publication, one to donate to the publication, and one providing a form to contact the publication. None of these links provides a description of TheJ.ca’s mission, vision or editorial content. The footer menus are extensive, but are headed by the promise, “Coming soon…” and none of the menu items are hyperlinked. Thus, links such as “About us,” “Terms and conditions,” “Privacy policy” are inactive, or lead to pages which are blank.
[60] For example, see East’s fundraising ad/pitch at the bottom of this page: https://www.thej.ca/2023/04/04/a-12-year-struggle-for-justice-ends-as-leifer-found-guilty/
[61] Sarner, Robert, "Canada welcomes two new Jewish outlets, but COVID-19 has media on life support,” May 26, 2020, The Times of Israel, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.timesofisrael.com/canada-welcomes-two-new-jewish-outlets-but-covid-19-has-media-on-life-support/
[62] Ibid.
[63] Ibid.
[64] Johnson, Pat, "Jewish media struggle, revive,” Jewish Independent (Formerly the Jewish Western Bulletin), June 26, 2020, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.jewishindependent.ca/tag/ron-east/
[65] Ibid.
[66] Ibid., Sarner
[67] Ibid., Johnson
[68] The Jewish News Syndicate is an international “news agency covering Israel and the Jewish world,” hosted at https://www.jns.org
[69] E.g. see Akman, Doğan, “The Trudeau Government’s Fake Fight Against Antisemitism- Part 36,” TheJ.ca, March 15, 2023, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/03/15/the-trudeau-governments-fake-fight-against-antisemitism-part-36/
[70] E.g. see Gold, Marty, “Ontario NDP Runs A Jew-Hater; Who Speaks For Hamilton’s Jews?,” TheJ.ca, March 15, 2023, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/03/15/ontario-ndp-runs-a-jew-hater-who-speaks-for-hamiltons-jews/
[71] E.g. see Gold, Marty, “Weak Sarah Jama “Apology” Accepted By Weak Jewish Community “Leaders”,” March 22, 2023, TheJ.ca, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/03/22/weak-sarah-jama-apology-accepted-by-weak-jewish-community-leaders/
[72] E.g. see Isaac, David, “New Israel Fund Reveals String Of Donations To Anti-Reform Protest Groups,” TheJ.ca, April 4, 2023, access April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/04/04/new-israel-fund-reveals-string-of-donations-to-anti-reform-protest-groups/
[73] E.g. see Gold, Marty, “Winnipeg Board Of Jewish Education Stonewalls Questions About Antisemitic Incident,” TheJ.ca, Feb. 23, 2023, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/02/23/winnipeg-board-of-jewish-education-stonewalls-questions-about-antisemitic-incident/
[74] E.g. see Tobin, Jonathan S., “A ‘Resistance’ Coup Just Defeated Israeli Democracy,” TheJ.ca, March 29, 2023, accessed April 8, 2023 at https://www.thej.ca/2023/03/29/a-resistance-coup-just-defeated-israeli-democracy/