Canary Mission published dental student Adam Elayan’s profile in December 2016. He came onto our radar after we discovered concerning tweets that displayed classic antisemitism and support for terrorism.
After a lengthy process, his profile was removed this week from the Canary Mission website as part of the Ex-Canary program. The program is designed for individuals who have “shown moral courage to recognize their earlier mistakes, embracing tolerance and coexistence – despite social pressure from their peers.”
We would like to note the important role that StandWithUs played in recognizing that Adam has changed and in giving him a chance. Like us, they were very concerned by Adam’s previous anti-Semitism. However, they kept an open line to him, allowing him to express his regret to them in person. StandWithUs emailed us suggesting that we look at his case. Having seen a copy of Adam’s op-ed, we had a number of questions.
One question regarded what he meant by anti-Semitism. It is no secret that far-left extremists object to the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. This is despite its adoption by governments, institutions and sporting bodies around the world, including the Biden administration. In the words of the definition, it is anti-Semitic to deny “the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” We asked Adam what he meant by his being against anti-Semitism. He confirmed that he meant the IHRA definition. After receiving his answer and being satisfied by the discussions he held with StandWithUs, it was appropriate to remove him from Canary Mission.
We recognize the courage it takes for Adam to come forward. The extremes of society — those on the far-left, far-right and among anti-Israel activists — are often violently intolerant of divergent opinions. Adam has nevertheless chosen to change and abandon his formerly hateful views, and we commend him for this.
As anti-Semitism continues to rise, it is more important than ever to be vigilant against hatred. There are those on the left who argue that anti-Semitism only exists on the far-right. There are also those on the right who play down far-right hatred of Jews. Neither approach is acceptable. Anti-Semitism must be exposed, wherever it is found, and Canary Mission will continue to do so, as long as it exists.
