JEWISH PROFESSOR SUING YORK UNIVERSITY,

JEWISH GROUPS: CLAIMS THEY SUGGESTED HE WAS

ANTI-SEMITIC
By Louise Brown, Education Reporter
Published in: The Star November 22, 2006

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History professor David Noble is suing York University's fundraising foundation and several Jewish
organizations for defamation, claiming they suggested he is anti-Semitic to try to gag criticism of their
activities.

Noble, 61, who is Jewish, has brought a $25 million lawsuit against the York University Foundation,
including outgoing York president Lorna Marsden, as well as the Canadian Jewish Congress' Ontario
region,Hillel of Greater Toronto and the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto for their criticism of
flyers he distributed.

The flyers accused the university of being biased in favour of Israel and restricting pro-Palestinian
groups on campus more harshly than others.

Noble distributed the flyers, titled "The Tail that Wags the Dog," on campus in 2004. They named
directors and staff of the York University Foundation and cited various members' links with pro-Israel
agencies, such as the United Jewish Appeal.

In response, Noble said, members of Hillel of Greater Toronto sent a fax to the university expressing
concern that the flyer suggested "Jews control York University" - something Noble denies having said.

He said he criticized York figures for their political views on Israel, not their ethnicity or religion.

The university later issued a news release condemning what Marsden called "this highly offensive
material, which singles out certain members of the York community on the basis of their ethnicity and
political views."

While it did not name Noble, it quoted a Jewish student leader who was concerned about "such
inflammatory material," and said "it is unacceptable for any students to be exposed to this type of
bigotry."

Angry his claims were being called bigoted, Noble has already filed a union grievance seeking an apology
and $10 million in damages for defamation.

Noble has also filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission against York for its
long-standing practice of cancelling all classes on Jewish high holidays, such as Yom Kippur.

York established the policy years ago at the request of Jewish students, but it allows any student to
obtain a change of schedule if a class conflicts with a religious holiday.

In response, Noble, an outspoken critic of the policy, cancels his own classes on Muslim holidays as well.

"Look, I have very diverse classes and I want to dramatize the point that we are a multicultural,
publicly funded university, so we should either recognize all religious high holidays or none," he has
said.

York has an estimated 5,000 Jewish students, roughly 10 per cent of its student body, and it began
cancelling classes on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 40 years ago.

Last year, Noble said he would hold classes on the Jewish holidays in defiance of York's policy, but he
changed his mind after a student filed a complaint and he received threatening phone messages.