University of Toronto dentistry dean steps down over antisemitic images; remains on staff

The dean of the faculty of dentistry at the University of Toronto has stepped down following an investigation into his use of antisemitic imagery during a lecture in February, according to a CBC report, but will remain a tenured staff member.

Trevor Young, the university’s vice president and provost, confirmed that Anil Kishen voluntarily stepped down as dean in a November 5 letter to members of the university’s Faculty of Dentistry. The letter was shared by the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation.

The investigation found that Kishen did not “intend to promote antisemitism, and he had limited knowledge about antisemitic imagery and tropes associated with Jewish people when he included the images in his lecture materials,” Young wrote.

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The University of Toronto confirmed, however, that the slides contained antisemitic imagery despite Kishen’s lack of intent.

The investigation also found mixed reactions among members of the Faculty of Dentistry.

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“Some community members accepted Dr. Kishen’s immediate apology, while others were deeply hurt by the use of the images,” Young wrote.

The Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada shared on social media in February what it said were the images Kishen displayed during a lecture on strangulation theory and dental pulp.

One image showed an illustration of a figure with a face painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag, its torso wrapped in what appeared to be an Israeli flag, and the body and hands bound with rope. Next to the figure, the text read: “Does strangulation theory occur in the dental pulp?”

A second image depicted a man with a hooked nose swimming in a pool of money, with the word “immunity” written on the outside.

Young wrote that Kishen has undergone training to learn about antisemitism and will remain a tenured faculty member at the University of Toronto.

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