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Heather Reisman, Gerry Schwartz & Indigo/Chapters Supporting Israeli Military...
September 19, 2007
Heather Reisman, Gerry Schwartz & Indigo/Chapters Supporting Israeli Military...
An excellent article from THIS magazine concerning the growing national campaign to boycott Chapters/Indigo bookstore due to the support for the Israeli military from the company majority shareholders Heather Reisman & Gerry Schwartz...
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Full Article at: This Magazine.
Imagination. Creativity. Inspiration. Three words to stir the soul crown the towering windows of Toronto’s flagship Indigo bookstore. At ground level, shoppers pass in and out of wood-framed glass doors, navigating planters and benches intended to create a friendly, front-porch sort of welcome. They take little notice as, on the sidewalk beyond, two women unfurl an off-white canvas banner. Printed on one side are another three words, less poetic perhaps than the store’s motto, but the intended effect is just as moving: Boycott Chapters/ Indigo.
No, the protest is not a last-ditch attempt by independent booksellers to draw the literate back into their fold. Rather, the activists—11 have turned up on this Friday in April, the first truly warm day of spring—are taking a page from a much larger book. They are members of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), a network of Palestinian rights, Jewish peace and socialist groups doing their part to promote an international boycott campaign against Israel. They compare themselves to the early voices against South African apartheid, and history, they believe, can repeat itself: If international pressure could help rescue South Africa from apartheid, the same can be true for Israel.
Indigo picketer and Holocaust survivor Suzanne Weiss greets approaching pedestrians at the corner of Bloor and Bay streets, “Have a bookmark.” Weiss is handing out rectangular pieces of cardstock. Printed on each are the logos of Chapters, Indigo and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the words “Partners in Apartheid” beneath. Flip it over and a short statement explains why Indigo Books and Music is the coalition’s first and most prominent target: Two years ago, the chain’s founder and CEO, Heather Reisman, and her husband, Gerry Schwartz, chairman and CEO of Onex Corporation, launched the Heseg Foundation for lone soldiers. About 6,000 lone soldiers – so-called because they have no family living in Israel – serve in the Israeli army. Heseg (Hebrew for “achievement”) awards 100 scholarships each year to those who, after completing service, want to remain and study in Israel. Reisman and Schwartz donate $3 million a year to the cause.
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Racist anti-Semites
These protests are funded and organized by the powerful Palestine Lobby under the control of the Abbas and Haniyeh cliques. The apostate Jews acting as mendacious running dogs for these brutal Palestinian war criminals are a disgrace to humanity. I call on the civilized world to boycott all imports of Palestinian products -soap, figs, dates, Zaytoun pure virgin olive oil, plywood, handicrafts, flowers etc. to teach these authoritarian mobsters a lesson.
Apology to Ruth
sorry Ruth for posting the reply too fast and not reading below.
whoever is using your name is clearly desperate since he/she resorts to this kind of means. Thanks for speaking out.
misuse of my name in order to discredit my campaign
The abusive blog against the Palestinians posted by ruth tenne is NOT mine. I am the original RUTH TENNE who is known to be a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has written many articles , book reviews and letters to the press in support of the Palestinian cause as well as being a signatory to many petitions in support of the Palestinians. I am also an active member of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians , and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods (J-BIG)
Having born and bred in Israel, and being a witness to the plight of the Palestinians for the past 60 years, I have been on the front of campaigning for the Palestinian cause for many years.
I discovered recently that a suspected known source is misusing my name to post blogs all over the internet in order to undermine my name as supporter of the Palestinians.
I called on any conscientious person in the world to help advance the Palestinian cause and support a blanket boycotting of products of goods which are sourced from the illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) or from the State of Israel which has been brutally occupying the Palestinian homeland for the past 60 years and had driven away 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland in Palestine in 1948 .
Ruth Tenne (member of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods)
bigcampaign.org/index.php?page=jews-for-boycotting-israeli-goods
Misuse of my name in order to discredit my campaign
The abusive blog against the Palestinians posted by ruth tenne is NOT mine. I am the original RUTH TENNE who is known to be a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has written many articles , book reviews and letters to the press in support of the Palestinian cause as well as being a signatory to many petitions in support of the Palestinians. I am also an active member of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians , and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods (J-BIG)
Having born and bred in Israel, and being a witness to the plight of the Palestinians for the past 60 years, I have been on the front of campaigning for the Palestinian cause for many years.
I discovered recently that a suspected known source is misusing my name to post blogs all over the internet in order to undermine my name as supporter of the Palestinians.
I called on any conscientious person in the world to help advance the Palestinian cause and support a blanket boycotting of products of goods which are sourced from the illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) or from the State of Israel which has been brutally occupying the Palestinian homeland for the past 60 years and had driven away 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland in Palestine in 1948 .
Ruth Tenne (member of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods)
bigcampaign.org/index.php?page=jews-for-boycotting-israeli-goods
Muslim Sexual Apartheid
Why aren't these people protesting against the sexual apartheid and oppression of women as practiced by Muslims??? Can you say "dhimmi"?
James A wrote: "The level
James A wrote: "The level and magnitude of brutality carried out by the Israeli army is unprecedented."
Really? Compared to what? The Argentine Junta of the 70s? Idi Amin (another anti-semite) and his expulsion of Ugandans of Indian descent and his slaughter of untold others? The Syrian massacre of thousands of Muslims in the 80's? The Iranian theocratic state? The Burmese generals? The Chinese in Tibet and in China? The North Vietnamese persecution of Catholics and Buddhists? The treatment of women by the Taliban? The rape and murder of the Sudanese? The Japanese army in WWII esp. in China? North Korea? Pol Pot? Mao? Hitler? Stalin? If you mean to say that Israel is worst than any country, past or present, you are either incredibly ignorant or an anti-semite.
Israel is just as bad and
Israel is just as bad and just as guilty as all the countries and parties you mentioned.
Oppression and brutality is without borders!
Sincerely,
A Semite
Israel and Palastine
""The level and magnitude of brutality carried out by the Israeli army is unprecedented."
Really? Compared to what? The Argentine Junta of the 70s? Idi Amin (another anti-semite) and his expulsion of Ugandans of Indian descent and his slaughter of untold others?""
So it must be okay then.
"Unprecedented" could also refer to what is supposed to be a modern democratic, purportedly caring society. ... or are you merely saying it isn't unprecedented?
If statements against the brutality of the IDF and Israel against Palestinians is anti-semetic then there are a lot of anti-semetic jews. But of course they are "self hating jews" right?
Funny, if you read Haaretz there is more open discussion and less B.S. bluster than in North America.
Too bad nobody cares about
Too bad nobody cares about legalized discrimination against minorities in Muslim lands or the systemic violence against Muslim women, or the way Hamas et al. terrorize their own people. Anti-semitism is so much cooler - and it never goes out of fashion!
The Protest
Actually, the situation in Palestine is far worse than Apartheid. The level and magnitude of brutality carried out by the Israeli army is unprecedented.
It is amazing to see so many educated Jews support Israel atrocities and war crimes committed on a daily basis. These individuals should go and live for one day in the Gaza and then they will understand why there is link between Israel colonization of Palestine and Apartheid.
It is not an Arab propaganda, it is, unfortunately, Real. You only need to open your mind and read.
not Apartheid?
you are right. what is happening to the Palestinians is not Apartheid. it is much worse. they have had most of their land stolen, their water diverted, their fruit trees plowed, a wall built around them to separate them from their families and economic opportunity. Apartheid wasn't that bad in comparison.
ps. i'm not arab.
Congratulations! I agree
Congratulations! I agree with you. Well said, well put!
Free Palestine and end Israeli Apartheid!
Total horse-shiT!!!!
I tend to agree with the earlier post that:.....
An attempt to link Israel with Apartheid only demonstrates the Indigo protest is just another example of an organized arab propaganda coalition with an ultimate agenda of the destruction of Israel and their supporters.
Why don't you folks go back to school and learn the true facts before you arabs start something like this!!!!
Israeli Apartheid
*You Arabs* you say! Wake up, pal. Most intelligent, well-informed people know that Israel runs a brutal and militarily aggressive campaign against Palestinians.
Israel has gone from the oppressed, to the oppressor. From victim to victimizer. People just aren
Israel bombed, invaded, and destroyed Gaza recently killing over 1300 Palestinian civilians, 400 of which were children and babies. Nice going Israel. Now, that was a fair fight, wasn
American money continues to support Israel with money and weapons. Where would they be without the good old USA!!!I have the facts, pal. I have been following this issue for decades. Shame on Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz for supporting the Israeli military. The $3-million they raise and donate to the Heseg Foundation and the *Lone Soldiers*
effort would be better spent repairing Gaza City and rebuilding the broken lives of Palestinians civilians due to
the brutal, murderous of the recent Israeli military invasion.
Shame on Reisman and Schwartz....shame on you.....and SHAME ON ISRAEL! Long live Palestine!!!
A non-Arab Canadian (with a conscience)
Bad tag line, Good cause
The term Apartheid shouldn't be used at this stage. It's not a word that should be tossed around. As far as the scholarships go, they are ultimately negative. Immediately positive. However the negative will probably outweigh the positive. This will bring more lone soldiers in since now they have an incentive to stay in Isreal with the ability to study on scholarship. Studying is good, it will lead to specialization and GDP growth. However, I doubt very much that the IDF is going to allow much in the terms of multi-secular lone soldiers. Thus it becomes a scholarship that goes to people who are able to join the IDF who have already served and no doubt will carry some military values, which in the case of the IDF may entail some discrimination. That same scholarship now becomes a way of getting better jobs for people who will immigrate to Isreal (and that'll stir enough up) and then get better jobs due to subsidised education, but only after being subjected to propaganda influencing their judgement on discrimination.
Scholarships are good. But Exclusive scholarships are not.
When they approached me they
When they approached me they said the Jews are the next Nazis... How offensive I cannot believe that the police allow this type of hate crime to go on in Canada. I saw many people try to get their ideas heard by this group who did not stop to listen to another point of view for one minute.
Peace between people cannot be acheived unless we really listen to one another and this group does not want to do this but rather thrust their views on others.
SInce my kid in school said
SInce my kid in school said that her father is arab and she is muslim, some jewish classmates started calling her a terrorist. Is this offensive, or does it applies only for anti-jewish remarks?
Indigo Protest
Whatever happened to balanced reporting? What about the countless Canadien merchants who donate to Palestine and Hezbollah? Were the minority white South African's existence threatened? Do they have a history of wars waged against them solely based on their faith?
An attempt to link Israel with Apartheid only demonstrates the Indigo protest is just another example of an organized arab propaganda coalition with an ultimate agenda of the destruction of Israel and their supporters.
Perhaps,it would be a good idea for "This Magazine" to print an article on Quebec anglophones under aparthied rule in French Quebec?
Pro-Israel supporters like
Pro-Israel supporters like yourself have this hang-up about thinking that anyone who opposes Israel is either an Arab or
anti-Semitic. Stop to think that Israel is now an extremely
hostile and aggressive military regime with massive weapons
(sold by America). Israeli Apartheid demonstrations and protests are about humanitarian justice. Wake up.
Recent slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza is a clear illustration of this. Over 1000 killed, I believe.
Most Canadians are fair and honest and see Israel for what it is and what it has become. We, as a nation, have always
supported the underdog...the little guy....the oppressed....
the Palestinians.
Pick on someone your own size, Israel! I don t see Israel
picking on other countries with equal or larger military power.
The world no longer sympathizes with Israel due to its hostile position. However, I am pleased to see that the world finally sees the way things really are in the Middle East. Palestinians: VICTIMS Israel: AGGRESSORS
ZIONISM: a bad idea, getting worse!