The philanthropist behind the University of Manitoba’s largest-ever personal donation — $30 million — has denounced a speech made by a valedictorian for medicine grads and admonished the university for letting it happen.
In a letter dated Monday, Ernest Rady says he was hurt and appalled by the remarks by valedictorian Gem Newman at the May 16 convocation for students from the Max Rady College of Medicine. The school was renamed in honour of Rady’s father after the 2016 donation.
“Newman’s speech not only dishonoured the memory of my father, but also disrespected and disparaged Jewish people as a whole,” said Rady’s letter, sent to U of M president Michael Benarroch and college of medicine dean Dr. Peter Nickerson.
Approximately two minutes of Newman’s nine-minute address focused on the war in Gaza and called for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began after an Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel led by Hamas that killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage.
In a statement emailed to CBC News on Wednesday, college dean Nickerson confirmed the video that included the speech had been taken down.
Stating the actions of the Israeli government and calling for a ceasefire is, hate speech… 🤦 People like the letter author truly are racist. It’s just good ol’ a part of this ethnicity believe X, therefore all people of this ethnicity believe X.
Rule 1 of donations … once you give the money away you have zero right to judge how it’s used and how the administration chooses to run their business/institution.
Fuck rich people and their ham fisted power.
The philanthropic model exists so that the rich can wield influence over society unmoderated by pesky things like public will. The threat of not getting more money is significant.
That can bite both ways, though—I mean, not with publicly funded universities so much, but what if you find out the small religious sect you supported is a front for a murderous cult? (Yeah, I know, silly example, but . . .) Is there a point at which you should be able to exert control or claw back the money?
Not only fuck this guy but fuck CBC for giving him a platform.
Well no I’m glad CBC talked about it otherwise we wouldn’t know that this guy is a rich idiot.
CBC even allowed Newman to have a public reply to this. He kept his opinion straight.
“It is frankly incredible to me that advocating for a cessation of hostilities is seen as not only controversial, but somehow hateful,” Newman wrote.
I’m not normally one of these guys but on this point I am. CBC is habitual about its one sided coverage of the genocide in Palestine. It has openly suppressed journalists reporting on the Palestinian perspective and actively reports Israeli perspective regularly.
Fuck CBC’s lopsided and biased coverage of the genocide in Palestine. They are complicit in promoting this genocide and need to be more than called out on it.
To add to the other comment, CBC framed this in a very pro-Zionism way. The headline could have been “UofM valedictorian called racist for denouncing genocide”.
Should fund education with public money.
I agree with this, but also schools should be free to take donations because more money for education is always a good thing. Donations, however, should be no-strings-attached, otherwise they’re not donations, they’re bribes.
Fuck the rich asshole that thinks they’re entitled to control speech.
When the system is set up to survive on rich people donations, then these rich people have the real power and free speech.
oh yeah I really care what this asshole who’s got his daddy’s name scrawled all over some building thinks about words said in that building in particular. Fuck off.
Here’s what I think is the relevant part of the video, sorry about the source.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/comments/1cubttt/university_of_manitobas_2024_medical_school/
…disparaged Jewish people as a whole…
No, laughably no. It’s possible to disagree with the speech’s characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza, specifically whether or not they are intentionally targeting hospitals and whether or not they are committing genocide. But to say that the speech disparaged Jewish people as a whole is just factually wrong. It also feeds into some really wrong and anti Semitic tropes of Jewish control of the media etc. Really bad call by Rady.
You’re either massacring civilians with us, or you’re against us!
Israel is waging a genocidal war.
So is Hamas.
It’s just that before October 7th, Israel was only waging an apartheid war against a genocidal Hamas. Since then, Israel has done nothing more than step up to the same plate that Hamas was standing on all along, and since pretty much it’s inception.
It’s an ESH situation, with civilians caught in the middle.
Unfortunately, I have not seen any objections by Palestinians against Hamas, or by Israeli citizens against their government, which makes both civilian groups passively complicit in the two-way genocide in much the same way that German citizens in the 1930s were also complicit with Nazi atrocities.
They’re both responsible.
They’re both at fault for voting in such monstrous “leadership” willing to commit the most barbarous acts in order to destroy the opposing side at all costs.
There have been massive anti-government protests in Israel, you just aren’t paying attention. I’m sure Palestinians in Gaza would protest Hamas if they weren’t busy trying to feed their families.
I’m sure Palestinians in Gaza would protest Hamas if they weren’t busy trying to feed their families.
Looks over the last few DECADES of Gaza history
Mmmm… yes. I’m sure they would. /s
Be prolific if they petitioned to get the name changed
This is the best summary I could come up with:
“Newman’s speech not only dishonoured the memory of my father, but also disrespected and disparaged Jewish people as a whole,” said Rady’s letter, sent to U of M president Michael Benarroch and college of medicine dean Dr. Peter Nickerson.
Approximately two minutes of Newman’s nine-minute address focused on the war in Gaza and called for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began after an Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel led by Hamas that killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage.
The Israeli military operation has also triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, displacing roughly 80 per cent of the population and leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation, according to UN officials.
“I’m sure that some of you here today are worried that you might face censure for speaking about the genocidal war that Israel is waging on the people of Palestine, that it could jeopardize your career before it’s even begun,” Newman said in his speech.
In the letter, dated May 20, Rady chastises the university for allowing Newman “to spew these hateful lies to a captive audience” and then posting the video “for all to see.”
Newman said his valedictory address was critical of a government engaged in a campaign of collective punishment of the Palestinian people that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, calling Israel’s actions a “horrifying and disproportionate response” to the Oct. 7 tragedy.
The original article contains 942 words, the summary contains 232 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
