Antisemitism committee quits Concordia task force against racism

Pro-Palestine Jewish faculty speak out about the importance of anti-Zionist voices

NewsMaria Cholakova — Published March 31, 2026 0 minutes

The task force aims to address “systemic discrimination, identity-based violence, and hate on campus and beyond,” according to the university’s website.

The antisemitism subcommittee, one of six committees under the task force, ceased operations in December 2025. 

In an email to participants, the antisemitism subcommittee, led by Concordia professor Naftali Cohn, stated that the subcommittee has resigned due to the university’s refusal to publish individual reports for each subcommittee. Instead, a single collective report will be released representing the findings and recommendations of all subcommittees.

“We have not given up on our intentions to pursue scholarly publication of our findings so as to give voice to your experiences; however, this too seems to be in question,” Cohn wrote. 

The Link reached out to Cohn for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

In an email to The Link, Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci said that the subcommittee resigned after it had submitted its report, “meaning that the work of its members was already done by then.”

“The work of the Anti-Semitism Subcommittee will, of course, be included and inform the Final Report of the STRIVE Task Force,” Maestracci continued.

Maestracci further clarified that since the formation of STRIVE, the task force’s mandate was to present a comprehensive set of recommendations and action plans. 

“The delivery of a single Final Report is in keeping with this mandate as well as with the general practice of the university concerning similar task forces,” Maestracci said. “Members of each subcommittee were aware of this process and of the submission of a Final Report when they accepted to participate.”

All six subcommittees organized events, listening sessions and sent out surveys to their respective communities to gather data and testimonies to identify prejudice and identity-based discrimination at Concordia.

Since the release of the antisemitism subcommittee survey, however, some professors and interviewees have raised concerns about a perceived pro-Israel bias present in the survey. 

Antisemitism vs anti-Zionism

Concordia professors Kevin Gould, Shira Avni and Anya Zilberstein, are all members of the Jewish Faculty Network (JFN)'s Montreal chapter. The network consists of scholars and professors from across Canada who advocate for “social justice in support of an ethical life, whether defined through religious observance or secular action.”

In a letter to Concordia’s Office of Rights and Responsibilities, Gould wrote that the survey was “designed to show that Jews are experiencing antisemitism in and around protests against the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” 

Gould added that the survey’s research will contribute to “the unfortunately large and growing project of confusing critiques of Israel with antisemitism.”

Quinn Johnson, a student who was granted a pseudonym for fear of academic repercussions, participated in a listening session for the antisemitism committee. They told The Link that, while they felt they were asked leading questions, they did not feel as though they could not express their opinion. 

“I believe that, in order for an antisemitism committee to work, people need to confront what makes them uncomfortable and what antisemitism is,” Johnson said. 

Avni shares her peers’ opinion on the survey, adding that she felt it didn’t represent the diversity of Jewish experiences of antisemitism on campus. 

“Personally, I've never experienced antisemitism on campus, framed in terms of Palestinian solidarity,” Avni said. “I have experienced antisemitism on campus through MAGA and white supremacy, and that was not reflected in any way through the survey.” 

Gould, Avni and Zilberstein said they all took the survey in good faith.

“Part of the concern that we've had is really making sure that [the] methodology, [...] the questioning reflects our experience,” Avni said. 
 

“I have experienced antisemitism on campus through MAGA and white supremacy, and that was not reflected in any way through the survey.” — Shira Avni, Jewish Faculty Network

IHRA definition of antisemitism 

In May 2024, Concordia president Graham Carr attended a House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights meeting to speak about antisemitism on Canadian university campuses.

One of the recommendations presented at this meeting was the implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)'s definition of antisemitism in all levels of government, educational institutions, police services and human rights commissions.

The IHRA’s definition of antisemitism has been criticized by 128 scholars, who have described it as aiming to “discredit and silence legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies as antisemitism.”

When asked if Concordia would adopt the definition, Carr told Parliament that he would “consider it going forward.” Following this meeting, Concordia told The Link that the STRIVE subcommittee on antisemitism would evaluate whether the definition needs to be implemented.
 
No updates on the potential implementation of the IHRA definition have been released as of yet.  

In October 2025, JFN members met with Carr and Effrosyni Diamantoudi, Concordia’s interim provost and VP of academics, to voice their disapproval of the IHRA definition and urge the university not to conflate antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

“We wanted to make certain that the antisemitism subcommittee report included our perspective in it, and that's what we communicated,” Zilberstein said. “We submitted our own addenda, and that's the last that we've heard. We have no idea what the recommendations might be.” 

JFN members are not the only faculty and staff who have criticized the IHRA definition. 

In a 2021 general assembly, 68 per cent of the Concordia University Faculty Association (CUFA) voted against its use.  
 
In a statement found on CUFA’s website, which has since been taken down, the association stated that: “While CUFA opposes antisemitism and all forms of racism and hatred, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism poses a serious threat to academic freedom in our university. The IHRA definition of antisemitism misconstrues antisemitism to include a broad range of criticism of the State of Israel."

Meastracci confirmed with The Link that, despite the antisemitism committee’s resignation, a final STRIVE task force report has been compiled and the university “will be sharing a comprehensive set of strategies and next steps with the community very soon.”

This is a developing story.