University of Toronto Removes Webpage on Anti-Zionism Working Group After Public Criticism

The University of Toronto removed a webpage about a working group focused on anti-Zionism after public criticism, according to a report from The CJN. The group was titled “Bridging Theories of Anti-Zionism.” The CJN reported that it aimed to explore anti-Zionism through systematic comparative analysis. A separate report from Yahoo News Canada described the group as part of the university’s Jackman Humanities Institute, made up of graduate students and faculty members, and aimed at exploring the critique of Zionism as a political ideology.

Public objections came from scholars and public figures. Yahoo News Canada reported that Dr. David Jacobs, a university governing council member and president of the Ontario Association of Radiologists, expressed concern about the group’s formation. Jacobs cited a federal report indicating that 95.7 per cent of Jewish post-secondary students in Canada had experienced or witnessed antisemitism on campus. Richard Marceau, vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, criticized the group on social media, arguing that it amounted to anti-Jewish activism presented as academic research. Both reports identified Casey Babb of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute as a critic. The CJN quoted him as likening anti-Zionism to a hate movement and objecting to the use of the term “genocide” in the group’s description. Yahoo News Canada described him as a senior fellow at the institute who criticized the group for legitimizing what he called a “hate movement.”

The CJN reported that the deletion followed this backlash. Yahoo News Canada’s report, as supplied, does not mention a deletion. The two accounts also differ on the institutional connection. The CJN said Randy Boyagoda, director of the Jackman Humanities Institute, supported academic freedom but distanced the institute from endorsing the group’s perspectives. Yahoo News Canada said the group was part of that institute.

The university responded in statements reported by both outlets. A University of Toronto spokesperson said the group’s existence does not imply institutional endorsement of its participants’ views. The CJN reported that the university also said hosting the working group did not equate to endorsing its views. The institution said it was committed to addressing discrimination and harassment against Jewish and Israeli community members, including those who identify as Zionist, a commitment that reflects a lesson in protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).