A member of the McGill University student government has been told she must resign or she will be impeached after she accepted a free trip to Israel offered by a Montreal-based Jewish group.
Jordyn Wright, a member of the Board of Directors at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), says that she was singled out by the student council for her Jewish faith.
“The SSMU Legislative Council voted to call for my resignation from my positions in student government. The SSMU President personally singled me out, and actively encouraged others to attack me,” Wright wrote on Facebook.
Wright’s trip to Israel, scheduled for the end of December 2019, is called the “Face to Face” tour and is provided by Hillel Montreal, a cultural organization for Jewish students. Participants will travel throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories to learn about the geopolitical instability in the region from its residents.
Early in November, the McGill chapter of Students in Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights alleged that Wright’s trip would be a conflict of interest.
During a meeting on November 21st, the SSMU’s highest body, the Board of Directors, decided that Wright’s trip would not be a conflict of interest. One week later, on November 28th, the SSMU Legislative Council voted to call for her resignation anyway.
“Only I was targeted, despite the fact that another non-Jewish Councillor will also be joining me on the trip,” Wright said.
This is not the first time student groups at McGill have been accused of targeting Jewish students.
In 2017, three Jewish or pro-Israel students were barred from joining the SSMU Board of Directors, at the time it was alleged that this move was organized by groups on campus supporting the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement against Israel. In another instance, a student councillor told McGill students to “punch a Zionist today.” An attempt to impeach him failed.
Earlier this year McGill’s student newspaper refused to publish a letter defending Israel until the University intervened.
Wright says she will be attending the trip to Israel later this month and has no intention of resigning.
Wright expressed disappointment that the student government at McGill does not live up to its own standards when it comes to anti-discrimination.
“McGill’s student leaders consider themselves to be champions of equity, inclusivity, and diversity. I am appalled that McGill politics continues to exclude and discriminate against Jewish students.”
