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Dear John, This week, the IRGC was (finally) banned, we asked you to help send a message to the Ontario government to get involved in the TDSB decision regarding anti-Palestinian racism (APR), and we’ll be hosting an important webinar for those wanting more information about what APR is and is not…. Read on to learn more. CIJA
Join us on Monday, June 24 at 12 p.m. ET for our webinar, Toronto District School Board’s Combating Hate and Racism Report and Anti-Palestinian Racism: What You Need to Know. Register here. On June 19th, the Toronto District School Board met to consider the annual staff update report on the Board’s Combating Hate and Racism – Student Learning Strategy (CHR). Our community is rightfully concerned the report does not address antisemitism or anti-Israeli hate. Furthermore, the report incorporates the term “Anti-Palestinian Racism,” which was not defined for Board approval, thereby creating greater uncertainty regarding its application in our schools and classrooms. During our webinar, we will discuss:
Where do we go from here:
This week, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) let down the Jewish community when, after multiple stages of voting, they allowed the highly flawed Combating Hate and Racism – Student Learning Strategy Update Report, 2024 (CHR) to pass with a 15-7 vote. In addition to failing to address antisemitism, just as our community is experiencing a significant rise in antisemitic incidents, anti-Jewish racism, and anti-Israeli hostility in Toronto schools, the CHR also adopts the narrative of “anti-Palestinian racism,” which seeks to erase core aspects of Jewish identity and history and redefine what constitutes antisemitism. You don’t fight discrimination of one community by discriminating against another. Our community’s voice must be heard. Help us do that by asking Minister Smith to design and implement a province-wide solution that combats antisemitism effectively.
The Government of Canada has officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity under Canadian law, a decision welcomed by CIJA after years of advocacy, alongside our Iranian-Canadian community partners. Backed by the regime in Tehran, the IRGC threatens both communities. It shot down a plane full of Iranian-Canadians in 2020, harasses dissidents and refugees in Canada’s Iranian community, interferes with Canadian democracy, funds terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and calls for the death of Jews worldwide and the elimination of the State of Israel. Adding the IRGC to Canada’s terror entity list was first
brought forward in a 2018 Conservative party motion and adopted in the
House of Commons with support of the Trudeau government. Although
disappointed that it has taken six years from the vote in Parliament
to put this into effect, we are pleased that it has finally
happened. Read our full statement here.
In response to the increasing reports of antisemitic incidents that impact not only the Jewish community but also Canadians of all faiths from coast to coast, CIJA created the Legal Task Force (LTF) to employ legal strategies against antisemitism, hate, and discrimination in Canada. The LTF is a collaborative effort that brings together a diverse group of more than 200 volunteer legal experts with extensive experience in areas such as human rights, labour and employment, criminal, tax law, international, defamation, and litigation and from various backgrounds across Canada, including in-house counsels, practicing lawyers, retired lawyers and judges, as well as non-legal professionals and advisors. The LTF provides one-on-one legal assistance, launches impact litigation, and educates and empowers individuals. Click here to learn more about the pro bono services offered by the Legal Task Force.
Anyone with a device can have a social media account, but relatively few people use their online voice for good and, as we have seen, countless people use it to spread hate. On June 25, at the final webinars in our Introduction to Digital Advocacy series, we will learn what two major online platforms are doing to combat online hate when we welcome Liat Efrati Glazer, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Google, and Katie Strickland, Hostile Speech Lead for the Core Policy Team at Meta. Social Media Influencer Cindy Seni (@IsraelwithCindy on Instagram), will share her story and how she uses her influence to change the narrative about Israel and the Jewish people. Community CalendarJune 24
| Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec) CIJA in the NewsInstagram post sparks outrage from Montreal's Jewish community (CityNews Montreal) Des manifestants réclament le démantèlement du campement à McGill (Le Devoir) Montreal police work to maintain peace in city amid Israel-Gaza war (CBC Montreal) Ad truck targets Muslims (CTV National News) TDSB to vote on adopting 'anti-Palestinian racism' term (CBC Toronto) Shots fired at Montreal Israeli cuisine eatery on anti-Zionist boycott list (The Jerusalem Post) Montreal mayor denounces antisemitism after restaurant allegedly targeted (Global News) TDSB trustees vote to adopt 'anti-Palestinian racism' term (CBC Toronto) Canada finally lists IRGC as terrorists (The Suburban) Community CareersNational
senior professional, External Affairs - CIJA |
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The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, representing Jewish Federations across Canada |
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