The University of Toronto has launched an investigation after claims that the dean of dentistry shared course materials that included antisemitic and anti-Israel imagery.
The university says Anil Kishen is on leave pending the outcomes of the investigation and that he is participating fully.
In a statement, U of T vice president and provost Trevor Young said Kishen reported that he used the images without understanding their antisemitic and discriminatory meaning or their impact.
“He has removed the images from his course materials and has apologized directly to his class and the broader faculty,” reads the statement. “He has also committed to exercising greater diligence in reviewing course materials to support an inclusive and respectful learning environment for all, and to improving his understanding and awareness of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.”
He added that no further comments will be forthcoming from the university.
Kishen was appointed the head of the faculty of dentistry last year and has been with the university since 2009.
Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada shared on social media images of what it said were Kishen’s course materials, including an illustration of a figure that appeared to be wrapped in an Israeli flag and rope, holding its head painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
That image appeared next to a mention of “strangulation theory” of dental pulp, while another illustration depicted a man with a hooked nose in a pool of money labelled “immunity.”
B’nai Brith Canada said in its social media post that “there is no excuse” for Kishen’s use of the images and it is demanding accountability from the university.
“Our students deserve better and we will not rest until our campuses are safe and welcoming spaces conducive of the success of all,” it wrote.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report
The University of Toronto has launched an investigation after claims that the dean of dentistry shared course materials that included antisemitic and anti-Israel imagery. The university says Anil Kishen is on leave pending the outcomes of the investigation and that he is participating fully. In a statement, U of T vice president and provost Trevor Local
The University of Toronto has launched an investigation after claims that the dean of dentistry shared course materials that included antisemitic and anti-Israel imagery.
The university says Anil Kishen is on leave pending the outcomes of the investigation and that he is participating fully.
In a statement, U of T vice president and provost Trevor Young said Kishen reported that he used the images without understanding their antisemitic and discriminatory meaning or their impact.
“He has removed the images from his course materials and has apologized directly to his class and the broader faculty,” reads the statement. “He has also committed to exercising greater diligence in reviewing course materials to support an inclusive and respectful learning environment for all, and to improving his understanding and awareness of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.”
He added that no further comments will be forthcoming from the university.
Kishen was appointed the head of the faculty of dentistry last year and has been with the university since 2009.
Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada shared on social media images of what it said were Kishen’s course materials, including an illustration of a figure that appeared to be wrapped in an Israeli flag and rope, holding its head painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
That image appeared next to a mention of “strangulation theory” of dental pulp, while another illustration depicted a man with a hooked nose in a pool of money labelled “immunity.”
B’nai Brith Canada said in its social media post that “there is no excuse” for Kishen’s use of the images and it is demanding accountability from the university.
“Our students deserve better and we will not rest until our campuses are safe and welcoming spaces conducive of the success of all,” it wrote.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report