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Dear John, 

This week, nearly 6,000 Canadians joined us in calling on the Toronto District School Board and the Ontario government to uphold the safety and well-being of our young students. We also celebrated the Canadian government for making a significant investment in the safety and security of the national Jewish community and condemned a motion that imperils peace in the Middle East.

For more information, read on.

CIJA

With the Jewish High Holidays and the anniversary of the October 7 massacre mere days away, CIJA welcomed the announcement of major improvements to the Government of Canada’s Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) as part of the launch of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate. SIP, which has provided funding for security infrastructure maintenance and improvements to workplaces, community centres, and places of worship of at-risk communities, will now become the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP). This new funding stream offers many of the expansions that CIJA has long been advocating for so vulnerable communities can better protect their institutions from hateful attacks. Learn more here. 

CIJA strongly condemned a motion introduced by Liberal Members of Parliament on Tuesday in the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to study the recognition of a Palestinian state without negotiations with Israel. The motion, which appears to prioritize political theatre over meaningful contributions to advancing peace in the region, effectively excludes the participation of Jewish community representatives at a crucial time for engagement by scheduling the study to take place during the Jewish High Holidays. Read our statement here.

This week, almost 6,000 Canadians wrote to the Toronto District School Board's Director of Education and Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop expressing alarm that students were exposed to divisive ideologies that promote hate on a field trip and demanding that geopolitics remain out schools. CIJA welcomed the Ontario government’s launch of an official investigation into how students and staff on a board sanctioned educational experience to hear from Indigenous voices about mercury contamination and the challenges it poses to the Indigenous communities of Grassy Narrows were instead exposed to hateful chants against Jews and Israel, with students asked to identify themselves as "colonizers." CIJA spoke with several TDSB trustees about the imperative of drafting a motion that encourages an expedient investigation that complies with the Ministry’s edict. We will continue to work with Trustees and Ministry staff to ensure the TDSB is held to account and never again places students in harm's way.

Recognizing the impact of the upcoming anniversary of October 7 on Jewish students, Minister Dunlop proactively sent a memo to all Ontario school boards setting out her expectations to ensure students are respected and kept safe on a day of mourning for our community. She warned that they will be monitoring how educators handle the one-year anniversary and how schools deal with the continuing rise in intolerance, expecting boards across the province to uphold this principle and be vigilant in ensuring classrooms remain safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all students and staff. We are pleased with the Minister's unwavering commitment to Jewish students and will continue to engage her on strategies to mitigate the impacts of antisemitism in public schools.

In Friday's National Post , CIJA VP Eta Yudin and Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak share the profound concerns of Montreal's Jewish about a conference taking place this weekend at UQAM | Université du Québec à Montréal that features speakers with a history of hateful statements, some glorifying terrorism. Read it here. 

Take Action

Tell the TDSB to Keep our students safe from hateful protests
It’s time to make terrorist symbols illegal!

Community Calendar

September 30 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
October 2 | Rosh Hashanah (Starts at sunset)
October 7 | Community Commemorations 
October 11 | Yom Kippur (Starts at sunset)
October 14 | Thanksgiving
October 17 | Sukkot (Starts at sunset)

CIJA in the News  

Pressure on TDSB grows over field trip to downtown protest (Global News)

Government MPs presented a motion to study Palestinian statehood at committee, sources say (CBC News)

Toronto students forced to wear ‘Colonizers’ shirts at anti-Israel protest (The Jerusalem Post)

Toronto protesters: ‘From Palestine to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone’ (Jewish News Syndicate)

University of Windsor president announces early departure amid controversy (CBC News)

'It raises an eyebrow': Embattled federal human rights pick lists job he never did on resume (National Post, + Postmedia Syndication)

Commons committee to debate motion on quickest path to Palestinian statehood (CBC News)

Ontario orders review into TDSB field trip where videos appear to show students marching in pro-Palestinian protest (Globe and Mail)

High Holidays: A time for reflection and renewal (Alberta Jewish News)

Liberals defend backing new vote to consider recognizing Palestinian state (National Post)

More CIJA in the News

Community Careers

Communications and Social Media Officer (Jewish Federation of Ottawa)
Associate Director of Development (Edmonton)
Campus Director, Hillel Western
Campus Director, Hillel York
Administrative Coordinator at Hillel Ontario
Director of Education & Mobilization, Hillel Ontario
Wellness Support Specialist. Hillel Ontario
Engagement & Advocacy Coordinator at Hillel Ontario