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Dear John, 

This week, we urged you to call for the safety of Jewish students at the University of Windsor, honoured those lost in the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, and explored the lessons we can learn from France.   

Read on to learn more. 

CIJA

Academic institutions should promote the exchange of ideas and mutual understanding, not take positions that exacerbate conflicts. Earlier this month, the administration at the University of Windsor capitulated to encampment protesters’ demands that aligned with hateful BDS policies and only served to foment an atmosphere of intolerance against Jews, normalize antisemitism, and contribute to the erasure of values central to Jewish identity. They were the only Canadian university to agree to such demands.

Help us send the University of Windsor a clear message that they must protect their Jewish students and immediately reverse these agreements that reflect the most radical demands from encampment and pro-Hamas groups.

Send a clear message to UWindsor President Rob Gordon and Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop, and demand that the University of Windsor rescind its ill-conceived agreements with radical campus protestors and protect Jewish students.

And if you have not yet done so, click here to tell the Canadian government that it must, by condemning Hezbollah’s actions, recognize the dangerous and destructive role Hezbollah has played in its targeting of Israel. 

On July 18, 1994, Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists murdered 85 and wounded hundreds more in a bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building, a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. To date, not a single individual has been convicted in what is considered the deadliest bombing in Argentina’s history, an event that serves as another painful reminder of why the world cannot embrace the Iranian regime. Iran, its proxies and the many others bearing their fingerprints must be held accountable for this horrific crime. Until then, the attack remains an open wound that can never fully heal.

CIJA CEO, Shimon Koffler Fogel, and VP Pacific Region, Nico Slobinsky, were among a delegation of Canadian Jewish leaders from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, including CEO Ezra Shanken, and elected officials, who traveled to Buenos Aires, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing.

In this Le Journal de Montréal op-ed, CIJA VP Richard Marceau, and CIJA Quebec’s Associate Director of Communications and Media Relations Julien Corona explain the lessons we can learn from recent polarizing elections in France.

In a webinar hosted by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, members of CIJA’s Legal Task Force (LTF) shared how the LTF is working to combat antisemitism, hate, and discrimination in Canada using legal strategies. Watch it here.

In late January, former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg flew to Israel and spent several days with a film crew getting first-hand accounts from October 7 survivors, freed hostages, and first responders, along with legal, medical, and forensic experts. The result of this trip is “Screams Before Silence”, a documentary that details the truth about Hamas’ sexual violence on, and since, October 7. CIJA is pleased to support Canadian Hadassah-WIZO's special screening of the film, followed by a panel discussion about the injustices and implications of the atrocities committed to Israelis on October 7. The discussion will be moderated by the Hon. Linda Frum, with panelists Karen Restoule, Vice-President of Crestview Strategy; Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Israeli scholar; Michal Cotler-Wunsch, Israel's envoy to combat antisemitism; and social media influencer and activist, Ashley Waxman Bakshi. Register here.

Community Calendar

August 5 | Civic Holiday (CIJA offices in Ontario and BC closed) 
August 13 | Tisha B’av

CIJA in the News  

Jewish community speaks out against deal to end Windsor university encampment (CBC Windsor) 

Anti-Israel encampments dismantled at universities across Canada (The Jerusalem Post) 

Kosher organizations go to court, arguing that current meat production regulations jeopardize ritual slaughter practices (The Canadian Jewish News) 

PARIM Board forces out principled president-elect who called out Dr. Gem Newman for valedictory address to U of M med students (Jewish Post and News) 

Housefather’s advisory appointment on antisemitism draws debate (Hill Times) 

L’enquête sur le dirigeant de la Commission des droits de la personne est critiquée (ICI Radio-Canada, + syndication de La Presse Canadienne) 

More CIJA in the News 

Community Careers

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO - Jewish Federations of Canada-United Israel Appeal
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
Vice President/Director of Development - Jewish Federation of Ottawa/Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation