This morning is Yom Kippur. It is terrifyingly tragic timing that parliament not only invited a Nazi to come and speak during the High Holy Days but that he got a standing ovation. This is right after hate organized itself to sweep the nation. Speaker Anthony Rota recognised Yaroslav Hunka, 98, as a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero”, saying “we thank him for all his service” before the Canadian Parliament on Friday. Grateful to Simon Wiesenthal Center for catching this and for all the watchdogs of hate. Will the rest of us listen? People make mistakes, so if this was one, the real question is: what will be done about it?
The Speaker apologized for not having done their homework. Apologies are not enough. Hate laws must be enforced and good people must rise up in protest. Because history has taught us: this how hate works- through simplistic propaganda and people who say they don’t know better and others who stay quiet. If we look to history we can see the next steps are: so what will we do? Hate toward one is hate toward all: and it begins with ignorance. Unless we speak out now and loudly at the growing chorus, we will drown in a quickly rising see of hate. This is the time to call your MP and tell them that you are not okay with the growing hate in this country. Every WWII veteran and every Holocaust survivor and every human who has a shred of humanity in them must rise up in a chorus of protest against the growing tides of hate before it is too late. If we do nothing else this Yom Kippur, may we speak up and this be our collective atonement.
Emerging Torah as Rabbi Nachshon emerges 