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Dear John, 

This week, we celebrated the enacting of Bill 166 that will ensure all Ontario post-secondary institutions implement an anti-hate policy, mourned the thousands of Israeli lives lost in defense of the Jewish homeland, participated in moving Yom Ha’Atzmaut ceremonies, and lamented the absence of Toronto’s mayor.

Read on to learn more. 

CIJA

After more than 6,000 Ontarians wrote Ontario MPPs urging them to address growing hate at post-secondary institutions by passing Bill 166, The Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, it was voted into law on May 14!

Aimed at addressing a dramatic rise in racism and hate on college and university campuses since October 7, Bill 166 will make it mandatory for every post-secondary institution in Ontario to implement an anti-hate policy. We are grateful to Minister Jill Dunlop for taking this critical first step in tackling on-campus hate and encourage her to adopt Motion 90, put forward by MPP Laura Smith, to help ensure that future directives are effective in addressing these issues.

CIJA will continue to work with post-secondary administrations, student groups, and faculty to ensure that the text and spirit of the law is implemented and that mainstream Jewish voices are heard when it comes to dealing with antisemitism and the law. Read our full statement. 

 

On Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, CIJA joined the people of Israel and the global Jewish community in collectively honouring the memory of the thousands of courageous Israelis who sacrificed their lives defending the State of Israel, especially the 600 soldiers killed since October 7. We also paid tribute to all those who have suffered or died as victims of terrorism –– most grievously the 1200 victims of the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists.

Immediately following this solemn 24-hour period, we transitioned into Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, with hope for a better future, gratitude for our freedom, and prayers for the more than 130 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas.

Municipalities across Canada raised the Israeli flag on Israel’s 76th Independence Day. We are grateful for the elected officials who, at ceremonies and in social media posts, publicly commemorated the founding of the modern State of Israel, and for their allyship and steadfast support of Canada’s Jewish community during these unprecedented times. They included: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre; Premier of Ontario Doug Ford; Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe; Vaughan Mayor Steve Del Duca; Michael Ford; Lisa McLeod; Shuvaloy Majumdar; Melissa Lantsman and Senator Leo Housakos; Anthony Housefather and Anna Gainey; Kevin Vuong; and Brad Bradford.

We joined Torontonians in expressing deep disappointment that Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow declined to attend the flag-raising after characterizing the event as "divisive and hurtful".

Campus Update: We have updated our May 5 edition of This week in Canadian Jewish Advocacy  to reflect more accurately the anti-Israel activity at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Although the organizers called for an encampment, the resulting activity at TMU did not have tents but rather a solidarity sit-in, with involvement from Samidoun, a group with a direct affiliation and ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – an organization that, since 2003, has been placed on the list of terrorist entities under Canada’s Criminal Code.

Community Calendar

Communities are gathering in cities across Canada in support of the people and land of Israel. Find an event near you.

May | Jewish Heritage Month
May 20 | Victoria Day
May 21-30 | Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 
May 25 | Lag BaOmer
Jun 12-13 | Shavuot

CIJA in the News 

Mayor pushes police to find safe way to hold Israel Independence Day event (CBC News) 

Ottawa city hall reversed its decision to cancel a Yom ha-Atzmaut flag-raising ceremony in response to objections from Jewish residents—who also organized their own rally for Israel Independence Day (The Canadian Jewish News) 

Shimon Koffler Fogel speaks on safety for Yom Haatzmaut ceremony (CBC Radio One) 

Richard Marceau speaks about Ottawa flag raising ceremony (ICI Radio-Canada) 

FIRST READING: The Canadian Jews being purged from civic life (National Post) 

Campements: l'infiltration islamiste dont on ne se rend pas compte (QUB Radio) 

Encampments at Winnipeg universities not going anywhere until demands met: protesters (Global News) 

More CIJA in the News

Community Careers

National senior professional, External Affairs - CIJA
Associate Director, University Relations - Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, CIJA
Associate Director Advocacy, Public and Independent Schools - Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, CIJA
Hillel Director - Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Chief Executive Officer - Calgary Jewish Federation