Sunday, July 10, 2011

Bernie Still the "Leader"? Xtra Seems to Think So

Before Candidate Farber was Candidate Farber (a civilian with no authority whatsoever to speak for Jewry), he was head of the CJC, Canada's pre-eminent (and now defunct) Jewish "social justice" outfit. In that capacity, he marched with pride in Pride, sporting a t-shirt that provoked much discussion and mirth at the time.

That was then, this is now--something gay rag Xtra is apparently unaware of, as it continues to cite Farber as a voice of authority:
While Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti steamrolls ahead in his mission to axe Pride Toronto (PT) funding in the name of protecting the Jewish community from hate speech, Jewish leaders are taking a big step back.
“He just doesn’t get it,” says Bernie Farber, who has taken a leave of absence from the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) to run in the upcoming provincial election.         
Farber says the CJC’s position is clear: the case against Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) and Pride Toronto is closed.

 “When all this started with QuAIA, the focus was always on the Pride parade,” he says.  
“There was no overt action taken by QuAIA at the parade this year... Look, it’s time to move on... 
Speak for yourself, Bernie. Just because you've moved on doesn't mean the rest of us have--or have to. And BTW, who died and made you King of the Jews? (Er, Xtra does know that the Ceej is no longer a going concern, doesn't it? More to the point: is Bernie in touch with that reality?)

4 comments:

Richard K said...

xtra is al-QuAIA's press agency, so they're anxious to publish anything that vindicates them. Bernie should know better than to act as if he's speaking for anyone else. Unless as the Liberal candidate for Thornhill, he's laying out the position of the Provincial Liberal Party, which is
something to be sorted out between him and Dalton.

scaramouche said...

Bernie should know better--but doesn't, apparently.

Anonymous said...

Not sure exactly what you think Farber said other than Mammoliti went to far. Seems even the Toronto Sun agrees with that.

scaramouche said...

Aside from pretending he's still in charge of something and citing the position of an ex-parrot of a racket (because, really, who cares what the Ceej's "position" is now that it's, you know, dead?), the man you champion said:

“We should all be standing in solidarity with queers in Palestine because they don’t have a great life there,” Farber says. “We should be speaking out on their behalf. Mr Mammoliti is confused. Most of us kind of get this. It was always about the parade, and the parade went off without a hitch.”

WE should be speaking out on behalf of Palestinian gays? Again, speak for yerself, Bernie.