Ukashi to head B’nai Brith Canada human rights league

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This article was published 13/08/2018 (2633 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At a time when reported incidents of anti-Semitism are increasing across Canada, a Winnipeg man will be leading one of the country’s most vocal Jewish organization’s efforts to combat discrimination.

B’nai Brith Canada has appointed Ran Ukashi, a 34-year-old from River Heights, as the national director of its League for Human Rights. The organization, which has offices across the country and is a self-described staunch defender of the State of Israel and promoter of Jewish unity, operates an around-the-clock anti-hate hotline and publishes an annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents, among other advocacy initiatives.

Ukashi’s appointment marks the first time the office will be held outside of Toronto.

“It’s a position I take very seriously,” Ukashi told The Sou’wester in his office at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. “It’s a flagship agency within B’nai Brith Canada, so I’m honoured to be at the helm of it.”

Ukashi first joined B’nai Brith Canada last July as the regional director in Manitoba and is currently working on his doctorate in peace and conflict studies at the University of Manitoba, with a focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Ukashi said opportunity to head the League for Human Rights came at a serendipitous time and marries his skills as an academic with his passion human rights work. Growing up in Winnipeg’s Jewish community, Ukashi said discussions of the Holocaust regularly came up in conversation with family and friends and likely sparked his desire to stand up to contemporary bigotry and violence.

“It’s of course very important to have a Holocaust commemoration and make sure that the steps that lead towards that kind of violence towards people is prevented beforehand,” Ukashi said.

“I feel it’s very important for instance to make sure that the government is responsive to these concerns and actual things are done to protect people, because ultimately it’s people’s lives.”

In the League for Human Rights’ most recent audit of anti-Semitic incidents, reports of vandalism and harassment — particularly in the online sphere — have become more pronounced over the past five years, raising concerns in the organization about the graduation to acts of violence, Ukashi said.

While the rise in the number of incidents may be attributed to increased reporting, Ukashi said the league has a plan to address anti-Semitic expressions and will continue to monitor police and governmental responses to racially motivated crimes and harassment.

“Personally I’d like to keep on going forward with the momentum that’s already been built within B’nai Brith Canada and hold government accountable to what needs to be done: making sure the police bring forward hate crime charges when and if necessary, and just ensuring that anti-Semitism or hate crimes in general don’t get carried out with impunity,” he said.

Keeping stock of anti-Semitic activity across the country and confronting it head-on is not an easy job, but one that needs to be done, Ukashi said. He noted his office is also available as a resource to other community groups with similar concerns in Winnipeg and elsewhere.

“It feels in a way good to know that you’re standing up for yourself and your community by trying to fight back against those trends,” he said. “So in a way of course it’s very difficult and there are easier jobs than this… but it is rewarding to stand up for your community and do as much as you can.”