At first, Collingwood resident Rashell Feldman thought a weekend social-media post by the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka was a joke.
But as time passed, her creeping dread amplified as more than 100 comments mounted to a fever pitch with members of the Jewish community sharing their upset over the post, while she says some others took to attacking the Jewish community who raised concerns.
It’s a situation Feldman thinks the YMCA should have foreseen in their choice to wade into a charged political discussion on all their social-media pages by making a post marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
“I alerted our community to tell them I was going to go into the Collingwood YMCA on Saturday to try to speak with somebody. I come from the perspective that I don’t think anything is ill-intended. I thought that obviously, there had been a misunderstanding,” said Feldman, who serves as chair of the Southern Georgian Bay Jewish Community.
The post’s text read: “Honouring the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On this day, we stand in support of the Palestinian people and their pursuit of justice and peace. Let’s work together toward a more equitable world. #PalestinianSolidarity #AdvocateForPeace #YMCASM”
She said she left a message for the Collingwood YMCA manager, but at the same time realized that the post wasn’t just on the Collingwood YMCA pages, but all the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka pages.
“I wanted to get to whoever oversaw the YMCA social media,” she said.
In the meantime, Feldman said she’s been fielding calls from members of the Southern Georgian Bay Jewish Community all weekend, with many expressing fear about returning to the Collingwood YMCA, or any YMCA in Simcoe/Muskoka.
“People are telling me they’re cancelling their memberships right away. Even though the YMCA claims it’s about inclusivity and it’s a safe place for all people, it’s clearly not for Jews,” she said.
When asked why a pro-Palestine social-media post is considered inherently antisemitic, Feldman said the post, in the absence of any other posts showing support for any other communities — including the Jewish community, but also including other geopolitical conflicts such as Ukraine, Russia or the Middle East — sends a message.
According to the Canadian government’s handbook on antisemitism, which was adopted from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition on June 25, 2019, an example of antisemitism can include applying double standards by requiring of it a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
Earlier this year, Collingwood joined multiple communities across Canada in adopting the same definition.
Feldman claims this definition applies to this situation.
“This is selective. This was one-sided. They didn’t mention anything about Israel,” she said. “They’re misleading people in suggesting that Palestine is all about peace, when in fact ... it’s a terrorist organization in Gaza that’s caused this.
“It’s antisemitic,” Feldman added.
While Feldman also claimed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has only started recently, according to the United Nations, the day has been observed since 1977 on Nov. 29 each year.
Feldman claims one comment she saw on the post in response to outrage from the Jewish community said, "F***ers, I’m down with Palestine," which she says the YMCA account ‘liked.’ CollingwoodToday, an affiliate of BradfordToday and InnisfilToday, could not verify this claim as the post had already been deleted.
“That was when we realized this wasn’t some kind of AI-generated mistake,” she said. “Somebody in that department clearly, intentionally, sent this out. They clearly saw the dialogue it was creating. It was not OK.”
On Sunday, the YMCA scrubbed the post from their Facebook and Instagram pages, and put up a new post, vaguely referencing the matter.
“At the YMCA, we are dedicated to fostering inclusion, belonging, and mutual understanding within the diverse communities we serve. We believe in honouring and celebrating cultural and historical observances as part of our commitment to peace, inclusion and human dignity for all,” reads the post.
“We acknowledge that sometimes our efforts may not fully reflect the intention behind our values. When concerns are raised, we take them seriously and use them as opportunities to listen, learn and grow.
“Our focus remains on creating a welcoming environment for everyone — regardless of background, belief or identity — and working together to build stronger, more connected communities. Thank you to our community members who continue to hold us accountable as we strive to ensure that everyone feels they belong.”
Comments were turned off on the post.
Feldman said she spoke with the organization’s president and chief executive officer, Jill Tettmann, on Monday, and said she felt the conversation was productive, although she said Tettmann did not yet commit to any specific actions aside from taking the post down.
In response to an interview request sent on Monday, representatives for the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka said Tettmann was not available to give an interview by deadline, instead opting to send a statement.
“We acknowledge the concerns raised about our recent social-media post and we deeply regret that it fell short of our intention to reflect our value of inclusion,” Tettmann wrote in the statement. “The YMCA does not take positions on geopolitical conflicts. Instead, our focus is on creating a welcoming environment for all individuals, regardless of background, belief or identity.”
Feldman said she hopes the organization terminates the employee who made the post and liked the inflammatory comments on it.
“This person, in my opinion, needs to be dismissed. If this person is acting counter to the beliefs and mission of the YMCA, this is bad news,” she said. “I would like to think (Tettmann) takes a hard stance.”
Although some might see it as a simple social-media snafu, Feldman warns the rise in antisemitism across the world is clear, alarming and can be amplified by social media.
“I deeply encourage people to become informed. I think, as so long as we envision that this is just something that only happens in the Middle East ... we’re kidding ourselves. This is happening in a lot of different places. The Jews might be first, but everybody else is second,” she said.
“We need to take this very seriously and approach it with a critical eye.”
