A 22-year-old Jewish student was denied her request for placement at one of two Jewish organizations for a co-op program in her final year of studies by a university administrator on the grounds that the two groups are “anti-Palestinian.”
Rebecca Katzman, who is graduating in June with a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ryerson University in Toronto, submitted her preferred workplace requests — at the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre (JCC) or the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) — earlier this year with Heather Bean, a “placement coordinator” at the school’s faculty of social work.
Work placement is a component of a student’s final year of studies at Ryerson University’s faculty of social work.
Bean refused to contact either the JCC or the UJA on behalf of Katzman’s placement request, advising Katzman via email that social work graduates’ placement requests should comply with the values of “the advancement of anti-oppression,” including but not limited to “anti-racism,” “anti-colonialism and decolonization,” “feminism,” “anti-capitalism,” “queer and trans liberation struggles,” and “issues in disability and madness.”
“My understanding is both agencies have a strong anti-Palestinian lean,” wrote Bain in an email to Katzman, adding that she might reconsider her denial of Katzman’s placement request if Katzman agreed to bring “critical awareness” of the “Palestinian” cause to either the JCC or UJA.
“Critical awareness” and “critical studies” are academic euphemisms for neo-Marxist politicking and perspective, and “Palestinians” are framed as a contemporary proletariat oppressed by Jewish Zionists.
Katzman advised the Toronto Sun that her interest in working with Jewish organizations is related to anti-Semitism she claims to have experienced on campus. The Ryerson Muslim Students’ Association claims to be the largest student group at Ryerson University.
H/T Sue-Ann Levy at Toronto Sun.
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