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Friday; March 15, 1985

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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ROBERT ST. JOHN

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Canadian Anti-Hate Law
Case Has Its Benefits

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C:11 presented by Hall Real Date Group

Eckville, Alberta, Canada is a
long, long way from Baltimore,
Detroit, Chicago or almost
anywhere else in the United
States, and what happens up
there might seem to be of
remote interest to anyone down
here, yet there is something im-
portant to be learned from the
story of Jim Keegstra.
In case you have missed the
several news dispatches over the
past two years dealing with the
matter, let me explain.
Mr. Jim Keegstra was a
teacher in the high school at
Eckville, a town, with a popula-
tion of less than 900, almost a
hundred miles north of Calgary,
the oil center of Canada. Two
years ago he was fired from his
job when parents complained
about the subject matter being
taught in Keegstra's social
science classes.
Specifically, they accused him
of telling his impressionable
young charges that the Holo-
caust never occurred — that the
stories about six million_ mur-
dered Jews were just a hoax in-
vented by the Jews to gain
world sympathy — and that
there was a worldwide Zionist
conspiracy to bring about the
creation of a world government.
The case came to my atten-
tion when, early this year on a
trip through Southeast Asia, I
met a resident of Calgary who,
although not Jewish, was so in-
censed by the Keegstra Case
that she wanted to talk about it,
and since then has supplied me
with detailed reports on each
new development.
For two years the case has
dragged on. Every now and then
the Calgary papers publish
another story about the case,
always on Page One and gener-
ally with a picture of the ex-
teacher, thin-lipped, unsmiling,
looking very annoyed.
In addition to losing his teach-
ing position, the 50-year-old
Canadian has been made the de-
fendant in a criminal case,
charged with "promoting hatred
against an identifiable group,
the Jewish people." Finally a
trial date has been set. The
selection of a jury is now
scheduled for April 9.
A justice of the Queen's
Bench several weeks ago hand-
ed down a 51-page ruling on the
plea of the teacher's lawyer that
the charge against him infringed
on his rights, specifically his
right of free speech. The ruling
was that under Canadian law
freedom of speech does not per-
mit willfully promoting hatred
against any group of people.
However, what is most impor-
tant is the effect the case has
had on public opinion through-
out the province of Alberta,
where only one out of every 300
inhabitants is a Jew.
In Calgary for years there has
been a branch of the Canadian
Council of Christians and Jews,
commonly called the CCCJ, but
until recently it was heard from
only once a year, when it held an
annual awards banquet. When

the Keegstra Story broke the
CCCJ remained silent. As one
member put it, "We discovered
that we had never set up any
channels of communication."
This greatly disturbed Jewish
leaders in Calgary and so the
B'nai B'rith League of Human

Most important is the
effect of the case on
public opinion in
Alberta, where only
one in 300 is a Jew.

Rights went into action. Phone
calls were made to Protestant
ministers and Catholic priests.
Each was asked:
"What are you doing about
the Keegstra Case?"
Most responded negatively,
and with embarrassment. The
end result was a press con-
ference involving a number of
rabbis, ministers and priests.
Then the CCCJ was revitalized.
New committees were formed. A
full-time director was engaged.
More meetings of clergy and
rabbis were scheduled. Next
April 29, when Calgary syna-
gogues commemorate the Holo-
caust, Calgary's churches will
do likewise. At the University of
Calgary a monthly Christian-
Jewish theological dialogue will
be held.
All this as a result of one
man's anti-Semitic stupidity.
No matter whether or not Jim
Keegstra is found guilty of
violating Canada's anti-hate
law, and no matter, if found
guilty, what punishment is
meted out to him, he has unwit-
tingly and quite ironically done
a great service to inter-group
relations in Canada.
If ever anywhere in Alberta
another anti-Semitic incident
occurs, there is now an ap-
paratus that will be ready to
deal with it quickly and effec-
tively.
For the rest of us, its a lesson
in how a minus can be turned in-
to a plus; how good can come
from even an outcropping of
blatant anti-Semitism.

U.S. Funds JDC
Famine Effort

New York — The U.S. govern-
ment has approved an initial allo-
cation of 7,500 metric tons of
wheat flour, soy flour, non-fat dry
milk and vegetable oil for Ameri-
can Jewish Joint Distribution.
Committee programs in the Gon-
dar region of Ethiopia. According
to the announcement, the JDC
can expect to receive a total of
30,000 metric tons over the next
12 months.
JDC is a major beneficiary of
funds from the Jewish Welfare
Federation of Detroit. Contribu-
tions earmarked for the JDC
famine relief are being accepted
locally through Federation at 163
Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI
48226.

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