Tomorow, Tuesday, January 21st at 2pm at the Rady Jewish Community Centre’s Berney Theatre, the Music ‘N’ Mavens Concert and Lecture series will be presenting a discussion on antisemitism. Called Antisemitism: What’s in a Word, this lecture will be presented by Belle Jarniewski.
Belle Jarniewski is the Executive Director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada and serves on Canada’s federally appointed delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.(IHRA) She has made it her life’s work to educate and inform the public about antisemitism and the Holocaust, and what we can learn from those events so that they do not ever happen again.
Educating the public about the Holocaust and hate is something that Jarniewski has been passionate about from an early age. A child of survivors, Jarniewski recognized that her family was different. “We were very much aware that the reason our family was different from others who went to school with me... in that I had no other family other than my parents and my late brother. It was very much part of my identity. As I had these wonderful opportunities come my way...it was very important for me to educate others,” says Jarniewski.
Antisemitism: What’s in a Word will deal with defining what antisemitism is, particularly as it has been defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The IHRA elaborated on what the definition of antisemitism is. This is a document that the Federal government embraced in 2019, and the Provincial Government recognized in 2021. As Jarniewski explains, "Recently we [IHRA] published a Canadian handbook to the definition which really puts the definition into a Canadian context.”
This document was the starting point for Jarniewski and the producer of the Music ‘N’ Mavens concert and Lecture Series, Karla Berbrayer.
Jarniewski will talk about what the IHRA is, and how the definition of antisemitism came about and why having clear definition is such a valuable tool.
The discussion will also use current examples of antisemitism that have been happening recently and how they fit into that definition. “We will also be talking about this expediential, and really shocking rise in antisemitism that we have seen in Canada,” states Jarniewski.
As Jarniewski sees it, education about the Holocaust and antisemitism is a key part of fighting it. “Education is really the only hope. When we teach about Holocaust education, we also have to teach students about who Jews are.” Topics such as where Jews come from and dispelling conspiratory myths, these are essential for Jarniewski as well as educating people about the far distant past. “It is important to teach kids about the more than 2000-year history of antisemitism that really began in antiquity even before the birth of Christianity. “
Jarniewski points out that that the teaching of history is no longer mandatory in public schools, and in the age of smart phones and social media, students are getting their information from a source that is really very questionable. “You can easily go through high school without learning anything about world history. Unfortunately, many young people and also young adults the get their understanding of what has happened in the world... past history and current...from social media which is a tremendous source of disinformation and misinformation and hate as well.”
Jarniewski hopes people will understand the importance of having a definition of antisemitism, and what this definition can help us with; especially in this climate of vastly escalating antisemitism that we are experiencing here in Canada.
Antisemitism: What’s in a Word is sure to be poignant and thought provoking. This topic is extremely relevant in this current zeitgeist and should be discussed. Belle Jarniewski is the perfect person to guide and educate audiences through these tough issues.
Antisemitism: What’s in a Word takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21st at 2pm at the Rady Jewish Community Centre’s Berney Theatre.
