A Jewish student government member at McGill University in Montreal has been given an ultimatum: Cancel her planned trip to Israel or resign from her position.
Jordyn Wright is refusing to do either, saying in a Facebook post that she is “outraged and disgusted, but not surprised” by the attempt by the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) to give her the boot for going on the “Face to Face” trip to the Jewish state sponsored by Hillel at the end of the month.
She called the push to oust her from the legislative council and board of directors as “anti-Semitic.”
The trip includes visiting Palestinian territories in the West Bank, so she was even more surprised by the move.
“As a Jew, my connection to Israel is one core aspect of my identity, and I hoped that the trip would help met experience Israel through a new lens,” said Wright, a second-year science student.
In her post, she also accused the student government of hypocrisy as it pertains to its treatment of the Jewish and pro-Israel community on campus.
“Those who have sought to remove me from student government frame my participation as a ‘’Conflict of Interest issue,” said Wright. “If that were the case, then why is a SSMU Executive with a pro-BDS sticker on their water bottle not facing the same scrutiny?
“Every member of student government holds a multiplicity of personal political opinions, yet we constantly and necessarily separate these from our roles as student representatives. They take issue not with the fact that I have other involvements, but that these other involvements are associated with a political view that they personally disagree with.”
In a statement, Rabbi Reuben Poupko of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs told JTA: “[W]e are once again witnessing misuse of the student government platform to exclude a Jewish student. The SSMU’s persistent abuse of power and displays of hostility toward Jewish and pro-Israel students are clearly not representative of McGill’s mainstream student population.
“We call on McGill students to reclaim the SSMU from the ideological fringes and rebuild an open, tolerant and inclusive campus environment,” he said.
The incident surrounding Wright followed the McGill student newspaper earlier this month publishing an editorial falsely describing Zionism as a “colonial movement,” a “racist attitude” and “a violent practice,” and advised students who wanted to learn more about Zionism to refer to a leading BDS website for more information.
