“If I do not resign, I am being implicitly threatened with impeachment upon my return,” said Jordyn Wright. “I have been the subject of thinly-veiled and blatant anti-Semitism.”
Jordyn Wright, a Jewish student and part of the Student Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Board of Directors, was targetted by her university’s student government over her decision to attend a trip to Israel sponsored by Hillel Montreal.
“This winter break, I have decided to participate in a trip called Face to Face that is being offered by Hillel Montreal, an organization that I have been involved with since I first arrived at McGill. The trip entails visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories to meet with politicians, journalists, and locals from all sides to better understand a very nuanced geopolitical conflict,” says Jordyn in her Facebook post.
“As a Jew, my connection to Israel is a core aspect of my identity, and I hoped that this trip would help me to experience Israel through a new lens,” she added.
Jordyn said that because of her decision to attend this trip, SSMU targetted her. “The SSMU President personally singled me out, and actively encouraged others to attack me.”
The trip’s controversy came to light when the McGill Daily, an on-campus newspaper infamous for its anti-Semitism, reported on it in their article.
Jordyn further says that only she was targetted, “despite the fact that another non-Jewish Councillor will also be joining me on the trip.”
“I am outraged and disgusted, but not surprised. This is not the first time that Jewish students at McGill have been bullied out of student government,” she added.
The motion that was presented in SSMU’s council meeting on November 28th explicitly singles out Jordyn. Furthermore, the SSMU President Bryan Buraga also introduced amendments that only pertain to Jordyn and none of the other BoD going on the trip.
She was also interrogated by the university’s Sciences General Council for two hours.
The Science Executive committee also stated that she either withdraw from the trip or resign from her position.
“If I do not resign, I am being implicitly threatened with impeachment upon my return,” said Jordyn. “I have been the subject of thinly-veiled and blatant anti-Semitism.”
She ended her statement on Facebook by saying that she will not resign. She received a flurry of support.
Organizations such as Hillel, Hasbara Fellowships, Edmonton Jewish News and Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish fraternity at McGill, all came out in support of Jordyn.
However, some of her opponents believe that “this is a further instance of digging in and weaponizing SSMU governance structures to polarize this debate.”
Adam Amsel, the Vice President (External) of SSMU, commented on Jordyn’s post and stated that one would have to be “tone-deaf not to recognize that an Israeli educational trip [constitutes] a conflict of interest based on monetary gifts.”
However, Adin Chan, another BoD member with Jordyn who recently said he will not be attending the trip, responded by saying, “I think that the President of the student body personally introducing amendments to a bill (that already singled out the director in question) to overturn the decision made by the Board of Directors because he disagreed with that decision is precisely the weaponization of SSMU governance structures that further polarizes this debate and propagate toxic student government culture.”
The Post Millennial reached out to the McGill chapter of the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) for a comment on this matter. At the time of this article’s publishing, the SPHR has not responded. This article will be updated if a response is made.
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