(We could use a little good news, nu?)

It’s a pretty, pretty, pretty difficult time to be a Jewish advocate, and for sure this cranky Ashkenazi has gotten used to apologizing a lot for getting defensive and testy when it seems like a new connection on LinkedIn is oblivious about 07 October, and indifferent about the unprecedented amount of Jew hate in Canada.  

I never know how to convey to non-Jews that our current state of anxiety is both epigenetic and very well-founded, and I wish my inability to follow their expectations for polite chatter prompted empathy rather than judgment (there are days I’m not sure I’m exactly helping to counter stereotypes).

So I’ve been moved and very relieved by the outpouring of support we’ve received since the publication of our report on recent antisemitic attacks against Canadian Jews in the cannabis community.  Even more, I’ve heard from non-Jews who expressed their solidarity and thanks for correcting the record.

I was particularly moved when cannabis advocate Sheriann Baker created an Instagram reel to promote the article, and I connected with her to thank her for the solidarity.  She wrote back:

“I am all about supporting good people. This is absolutely disgusting, and if I can share awareness with the community to show them the truth, I will.” 

Of course this warmed my Jewish heart, and then I felt guilty when Baker’s post was reported for hateful content by those who did not appreciate the Jewish account of recent events. I wrote Baker again to express my sympathy for getting trolled for her solidarity with the Jewish community.  She wrote back:

 “I have been picked on my entire life for speaking the truth, so I am not afraid of the haters! I love you too 💚.”

Baker’s response created some emotional space for me to feel a little hope.

I also heard from cannabis Jews and allies in the United States who wrote to tell me that the article resonated with them because they, too, are suffering from similar types of racist hate in the American cannabis and psychedelic communities.

Jeanette Small provides psilocybin services in Oregon and reached out to share her own recent experience with anti-Jewish hate:

“It is a very difficult time. The antisemitic notions that lay dormant just beneath the surface for many people have been surfacing in light of the ongoing war. 

I have been trying to avoid all conversations around the topic of war between Hamas and Israel as I struggle with receiving messages similar to the ones in the article.

As the psilocybin industry develops in Oregon (USA), I have received several strongly worded statements about how “Jews should stay out of Indigenous medicine work.”  I have found it emotionally challenging “networking” in that community while being aware of the unfair judgments. 

Jewish people have had to deal with these types of errors in judgment for centuries, and it is painful to see that things have not changed all too much over time.  

Thank you for connecting and for speaking out. I appreciate what you do.” 

I was also able to witness the positive effects of Jewish advocacy and solidarity when Kathryn Reilly, CEO of CannExpo, posted her thanks for the article on LinkedIn, and described the online attacks she had suffered ever since protecting Jews from a hostile environment at a recent CannExpo event.  After the article was posted, Reilly received an outpouring of support from her colleagues in the cannabis industry.  For this reason, I think it’s kosher to claim that the article was a mitzvah.

At the same time, we need to advocate for immediate changes to confront the problem instead of hoping that it goes away. The open and overt expression of Jew hatred in the cannabis industry is not a Jewish problem.  Instead, it speaks to the need for a statement on racism and discrimination that cannabis organizations can endorse and adopt so that we establish basic standards of conduct that serve to protect all minority groups from harassment and emotionally abusive behavior in the cannabis space. 

In order to facilitate the adoption of such a statement to respond to the current crisis of antisemitism, CJM recommends the following statement as a working template:

We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards acts and words of hate.  There is no room in our community for anyone who incites hatred or violence against an ethnic, racial, national, religious or political group as such, or who cannot respect the integrity of women, the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and those with disabilities. 

We do not just represent a profession, but a vocation based on healing and global cooperation that requires dialogue, patience and empathy.  We will always strive to create an environment in which everyone feels safe, and in certain climates this may require new guidelines or policies to create an inclusive, trauma-informed space.

Our hope is that we can bring together people with diverse perspectives and beliefs to engage in respectful discussions regarding the power and promise of cannabis, and that these discussions can help break down some of the false divisions that we create as a species.

We have sent this statement to several cannabis organizations, and so far have received an enthusiastic response from Dr. Av Singh, Executive Director of the Scotian Cannabis Alliance, as well as from Kathryn Reilly.  Our hope is that it can be adopted rather quickly by cannabis organizations hosting upcoming events in Canada, in order to respond to recent events and take proactive measures to ensure that all attendees feel safe and welcome. 

Special thanks and love to the Canna-Jewish community: “Gam zeh ya’avor,” Am Israel Chai. 

In order to stay connected with the Canna-Jewish community, sign up to receive The Canna Jewish News delivered right to your inbox.  To learn more about the role of cannabis in the Jewish tradition, check out our new online course The Jewish Relation to Cannabis, sold with the Yeshiva Subscription to Cannabis Jew Magazine.