5 Feet of Fury

Jewish leader who called me a ‘racist’ brags about his ‘brand’

Such crass, ignoble boasts sound like nails on a blackboard.

However, not everyone is thrilled with Bernie Farber.

While it would be difficult to top Mark Steyn’s and Ezra Levant’s withering criticism of Farber, others are joining the chorus of dissent:

“They seem to be spending more time in relation to Israel than in relation to anything else,” says Abraham Arnold, who has been active in the CJC for more than 50 years. Arnold, a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to the Jewish community and human rights work, laments what he sees as the evolution of the group from a messy grassroots organization to a “top-down” group that does not encourage the same level of debate he remembers from past, raucous plenary meetings.

While obviously gaining in influence in the halls of power by putting forward an increasingly strong and singular voice, Arnold says, such gains come at the cost of waning influence at the grassroots level and an increasingly tenuous connection to its roots.