NationBuilder

Dear John,

This week has been devastating for dozens of families in Israel, as Palestinian terrorists claimed the life of an innocent boy and injured many others. In Canada, CIJA's Associate Director of Partnerships shared her unique lived experience with discrimination as a Canadian-Ethiopian Jewish woman with several medial outlets.

Read on to learn more.

The CIJA Team

“Aryeh Schupak, z”l, of blessed memory, was an innocent victim. Just a boy, on his way to school, murdered only because he is Jewish. We convey our condolences and prayers to his family and pray those injured will have a full and speedy recovery. Our hearts are with the entire Israeli community who have, once again, been reminded that senseless hatred targets the innocent.”

—Shimon Koffler Fogel

On Wednesday morning, Jerusalem was rocked by coordinated terror attacks at two popular bus stations that killed an Israeli-Canadian teenager and wounded 19 others. Initial police assessments suggest the bombs, reportedly packed with nails and bolts to maximize casualties, were detonated remotely.

Many Canadian elected officials from all parties publicly condemned this heinous and murderous terrorist attack.

On the same day, the body of Tiran Fero, a Druze-Israeli killed in a car accident near Jenin, was snatched from the hospital and held for ransom in the West Bank for 30 hours. After intense negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian Authority governments, he was returned to his family and laid to rest Friday in his hometown of Daliat al-Carmel.

We condemn these cowardly acts and remind Israelis that Canada’s Jewish community stands with them.

Our full statement

'My lived experience with anti-Black racism was seldom questioned. As a Jewish person, the same is not true...Whether dealing with Ye’s threats, Nazi salutes or denying Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, like other minorities, Jews must be included in the conversation and permitted to define and describe the discrimination we face. “Nothing about us without us.”'

— Sheba Birhanu

Sheba Birhanu, CIJA's Associate Director of Partnerships, explores why, despite our increasingly progressive and inclusive society, Jews find themselves consistently left out of both equity-seeking spaces and diversity and inclusion training and discussions.

The full article is available to Globe & Mail subscribers here. You can also listen to her interview about her experiences on The Alex Pierson Show on AM 640.

Learn more