Last week, the Ryerson Student Union (RSU) at Ryerson University, located in Toronto, Canada, officially printed a definition of anti-Semitism that the RSU had adopted in March 2017, as recommended by the “Ottawa Protocol.” The Ottawa Protocol reaffirms the EUMC’s working definition of anti-Semitism – the EUMC now being recognized as the Fundamental Rights Agency (“FRA”). The EUMC working definition is similar to the definition used by the U.S. State Department. These definitions account for anti-Semitism that may hide under the guise of Israel criticism, among other forms. In addition to this affirmation, the Ottawa Protocol also advises that universities should use the EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism and that “there should be zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind.” According to the Centre for Israel and Jewish affairs, a Canadian Jewish advocacy organization, Ryerson was the first Canadian University to adopt the Ottawa Protocol. Students Supporting Israel (SSI) and StandWithUs Canada spearheaded this effort on Ryerson’s campus. The new definition came just in time, right after reports that the head of a university program “resigned over anti-Semitic tweets.” Setting a definition for anti-Semitism is an important step for a university to affirm its commitment to standing up for its students in the face of anti-Semitism. This sentiment was shared by RSU president Obaid Ullah, who wrote that “Jewish community members had lost faith in the RSU and did not feel supported” prior to this decision to create a definition. In the United States, several schools’ student governments have passed similar resolutions. Such resolutions were accomplished by the student government’s at San Diego State University, East Carolina University (ECU), UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, Capital University, and Indiana University. As told by a member of the Student Government Association at ECU, the students had decided to “take a stand with the Jewish community at [ECU]” by passing a resolution to define anti-Semitism in line with the definition adopted by the U.S. State Department.
On Thursday, June 27th, North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper signed an anti- Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (“BDS”) bill into law, making North Carolina the 22nd state to enact such a law or resolution. North Carolina joins states like Nevada and Kansas, which recently passed similar measures. Governor Roy Cooper While not all anti-BDS legislation is identical, it all has the same goal of combating the BDS movement. The North Carolina bill calls for divestment from, and bars state agencies from contracting with, companies who have chosen policies to boycott Israel. The North Carolina bill, entitled “Divestment from Companies That Boycott Israel,” saw a great deal of support throughout the North Carolina state legislature. Before coming to the Governor’s desk, it passed the state House of Representatives by a vote of 96-19 and the state Senate by a vote of 45-3. Such widespread support is telling of North Carolina’s important relationship with Israel, a country that has “long been an important trading partner of North Carolina”, as highlighted by CEO of the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary, Carin Savel. Israel is indeed essential for trade in the state, affirmed by the astounding $140 million worth of exports and commerce North Carolinian businesses do with Israel every year.