Jewish advocacy groups say they’re relieved that the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) voted to toss out a motion late Monday that would have punished one of its members for accepting a free trip to Israel.
The vote came after the SSMU drafted a resolution last week to trigger an impeachment vote against councillor Jordyn Wright if she accepted an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel. The trip, sponsored by Hillel Montreal, is meant to educate students on the complex realities of life in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Wright said she was targeted by the student union because of her Jewish identity, triggering an international backlash against the SSMU.
After a day that saw Wright’s story covered by media across Canada and in Israel, the SSMU voted to drop the motion during a meeting of its board of directors late Monday.
“Discrimination, racism and any attempt to ostracize students based on their identity have no place on campus, or anywhere else for that matter,” read a statement published by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs on Tuesday. “CIJA applauds the SSMU Board of Directors for unequivocally rejecting the Legislative Council’s discriminatory motion.”
READ more
