And If Not Now, When? : Feminism and Anti-Semitism Beyond Clara Brett Martin

Abstract

In their response to Constance Backhouse, Clara Brett Martin: Canadian Heroine or Not? , and Lita-Rose Betcherman, Clara Brett Martin\u27s Anti- Semitism , the authors suggest ways to deepen the analysis of anti-semitism put forward in the articles by focusing less on matters of individual prejudice and discrimination, and, in particular, that of Clara Brett Martin, and more on the systemic dimensions of anti-semitism. They argue that interrogating the history and present manifestations of anti-semitism and investigating its more structural and ideological aspects will take us further in understanding the processes which reinforce and reproduce anti-semitism. The authors also consider how the silencing aspect of anti-semitism has limited the extent to which anti-semitism has been acknowledged and addressed within the feminist community. They conclude that we must address this silencing and undertake the difficult yet urgent task of confronting anti-semitism within ourselves, the women\u27s movement, and the broader Canadian society