The Jewish Public Library of Montreal is re-evaluating the removal of children's books because of the authors' pro-Palestinian comments

Montreal's Jewish Public Library, which recently decided to stop displaying the works of Quebec writer Elise Gravel because of her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, is now reevaluating the move. caused controversy throughout the province.

Mrs. Gravel is a famous author of children's books. JPL, an independent not-for-profit organization, said in a statement to The Canadian Jewish News last week that while it has not removed the books entirely from its collection, it has kept them out of public view. This ensures that the works are “accessible through our catalogue, but also recognizes the sensitivity of the author's social media posts”.

“JPL is committed to fostering critical thinking and combating anti-Semitism and discrimination of any kind,” the statement said.

Executive director of the library, Alain Dansiger said Monday that the decision to remove Ms. Gravel from her books was made before she took office on Jan. 15. He declined to comment on the move and said the library would explain its position soon.

In the meantime, Mr. Dansiger, Ms. Gravel's books will remain available to anyone who requests them. When asked by a Globe and Mail reporter, a librarian reached behind a shelf and pulled out dozens of illustrated volumes with titles. Une patate à vélo, Spider and I want a monster.

These social media posts have appeared on Ms Gravel's Instagram page for the past few months. They condemn Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip – attacks that began in October after Hamas militants killed nearly 1,200 people in Israel. Israel's subsequent strikes on Gaza have killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, including more than 12,000 children, according to local authorities.

“Stop bombing kids,” Ms. Gravel's usual post on Nov. 2 said. “Condemning Israel's tactics of extreme violence and manipulation is not anti-Semitic,” says Dec. 10.

On Thursday, Quebec's National Assembly unanimously passed a motion expressing “Quebec's concern over recent episodes of censorship targeting children's books” and “support for Quebec authors, including Ms. Gravel.”

But Jewish groups say Ms Gravel is promoting hate. On February 6, the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), representing the Jewish Federations of Canada accused him engaging in “anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories.”

CIJA cited one of Ms. Gravel's social media posts, in which she wrote: “We're sure we agree with their idea of ​​exterminating Palestinians like insects. Even children, even newborns.'

“They believed we were racist against Arabs and Muslims,” ​​Ms Gravel added.

In its social media post, CIJA asked: “Who does 'they' refer to?” He asked.

In a later post, Ms. Gravel explained what she meant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.

In another post last week, Ms Gravel said her comments were “not anti-Semitic” but rather criticized “the government of Israel, their political agenda and their extreme violence”.

Fabien Presentey of Independent Jewish Voices Canada said criticism of Ms. Gravel's posts and Israel's actions in general was not anti-Semitic. Ms. Presentey organized a protest outside the library on Sunday to denounce what she called “censorship” of Ms. Gravel's books. According to him, about 50 people participated.

“During Nazism, they burned our books, so for us the idea of ​​banning books is not a simple gesture,” he said. “It shows us how fragile free speech is in a democracy.”

Ms Gravel declined to comment further on Monday.

According to the Associated Press