Wednesday, November 5

Children are taught, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all understand the concept, that it’s a defensive response to taunts, a way to avoid responding with physical violence. But I think that as adults, we can all agree that words can indeed hurt, and I’m not talking about hurt feelings. Words can be dangerous. The Jewish community knows this well.

This week, Toronto mayor, Olivia Chow, spoke at an event hosted by the National Council of Canadian Muslims. In her address, she referred to “the genocide in Gaza.” For starters, anyone who understands the term “genocide” knows that what is happening in Gaza is not a genocide. You know what was a genocide? The Holocaust. Darfur. Rwanda. Ethnic populations targeted with the intent to wipe them out. Sorry, Chow. That ain’t what’s happening in Gaza.

So on the most basic, charitable level, Chow’s use of that phrase shows that she is simply stupid or ill-informed, both of which are bad enough in a political leader. But it’s much worse than that. Coming from a mayor, those words carry more weight, and once she has said them, words like that do not just echo through politics. As each of us is aware, words like that reverberate through our streets, our schools, and our homes. And when our own mayor repeats such charged, one-sided language, it sends a signal that our fear doesn’t matter and that the pain and danger we feel are invisible. Her words empower the antisemites, legitimizing the hostility aimed at us, and endanger the very citizens she is meant to protect.

This. Is. Inexcusable. This is a politician who does not bring peace to our city but rather, tears our fragile sense of safety even further apart. Keep your eyes and ears open, folks. The times they are a-changing. The pen may still be mightier than the sword, sticks and stones can still break bones, but beware those words that can hurt irreparably.

Am Yisrael Chai!