Episode 38: Schmooze with Richard Gottfried | Stand Up and Be Counted | Antisemitism, Allyship & Finding Our Champions

What’s the difference between a supporter and a champion?For former Alberta MLA Richard Gottfried, it comes down to what you’re prepared to do when standing up actually matters.In Episode 38 of The Schmooze, Don and Jared sit down with Richard for a conversation that begins with an extraordinary family story and ultimately arrives at one of the most urgent questions facing Canada’s Jewish community today: Where are our champions?Richard traces his Jewish family history from revolutionary Russia to Shanghai, where his family found refuge and became the only surviving branch of their family line. He shares stories of his father’s remarkable life in Asia, his own upbringing in Calgary and Nigeria, and the experiences that eventually led him into public service. From there, the conversation turns to Richard’s work in the Alberta Legislature, including his leadership on Motion 504, which called for the adoption and application of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism across publicly funded institutions in Alberta. The motion was debated and passed unanimously by those present in the Legislature. But that was March 2023.Then came October 7.Richard, Don and Jared discuss the explosion of antisemitism that followed, the attempt to separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism simply by changing vocabulary, what has happened on Canadian campuses and in public spaces, and whether governments and institutions are doing enough before rhetoric becomes something far more dangerous. And ultimately, the conversation comes back to allyship.It is easy to say you support the Jewish community.It is something very different to champion it.Richard’s message is simple:Stand up. Be counted. And find the courage to be a champion.🎙️ The Schmooze with Don & JaredEpisode 38: Stand Up and Be CountedSubscribe for conversations about Jewish life, Israel, antisemitism, community, politics, culture and the people shaping Calgary and beyond.#TheSchmooze #RichardGottfried #Antisemitism #JewishCommunity #IHRA #Alberta #JewishCanada #Allyship #StandUpAndBeCounted