August 22,2010
To the Editor,
Mr. Morantz’s recent article about the Negev Gala has received a strong response, some positive, and some negative. In a free and open society this is to be expected, and even encouraged, because a reasonable debate and discussion is a key to our growth and advancement. It is interesting however to take note of the criticism directed towards Mr. Morantz, and to think about the broader implications. Self described NDP Voter Elliot Leven claimed that Mr. Morantz was simply making a political statement. One individual claimed that Mr. Morantz’s article was “picking up the propaganda language of the “Palestinian narrative”. But it is perhaps the comments of Alan Levy that are the most disappointing, as he used his time to personally attack the character of Mr. Morantz. As with Mr. Leven’s comments, it is indeed ironic, that while Mr. Levy claims that Mr. Morantz’s piece is pure politics, he then proceeds to question the compassion of Mr. Morantz and the Progressive Conservative Party. Mr. Levy cannot credibly complain of partisanship on one hand, while he makes partisan attacks on the other. Anyone who knows Marty Morantz knows that he is a man with a generous spirit and a compassionate heart, and Mr. Levy’s comments can do nothing to change that.
As is often the case when an article elicits an emotional response, the truth lies in between the rhetoric. An objective look at Mr. Morantz’s article reveals it to be balanced and fair-minded. Mr. Morantz even took the step of clarifying the Federal NDP’s position on Israel. These are not the actions of someone out to make a partisan point. These are the actions of someone who is sharing their opinion about an event that happened to have political implications. Had Mr. Morantz wanted to write a political piece, he could have criticized Libby Davies for her unacceptable past comments about Israel, or he could have attacked Mr. Layton for refusing to remove her as Deputy Leader of the NDP. Mr. Morantz choose neither of those options, instead he chose to be balanced and forthright.
In regards to the NDP provincially, it is quite true that Christine Melnick has been a strong supporter of Israel, and she is to be commended for that. At the same time, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the NDP failed to pass a motion to denounce Israel Apartheid Week, and that under the current NDP Government we have seen the first (but likely not the last) occurrence of IAW at the University of Manitoba.
Though public life and politics can be a rough business, it is also essential that certain standards of fairness and decency are maintained. Personal attacks can be easy to make when emotions run high, and can often lead to a coarsening of the discourse of our society. Despite the emotions this issue has brought up, Mr. Morantz wrote an article that was moderate in tone, balanced in content, and fair in its treatment of the topic. If we can learn something from this, and learn to disagree in a respectful way as Mr. Morantz has, then we will take a step further towards peace in our own lives and peace in the world.
Spencer Fernando, Winnipeg