Press Release: CIJA welcomes Government of Canada decision to host Emergency Summit on Antisemitism
Today, CIJA received confirmation that the Government of Canada will convene an Emergency Summit to Combat Antisemitism.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA, ON – Today, CIJA received confirmation that the Government of Canada will convene an Emergency Summit to Combat Antisemitism, which will be led by the Honourable Irwin Cotler, Canada’s Special Envoy on antisemitism.
In response, Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), issued the following:
“We welcome the government’s decision, in response to our call expressed over the last month, and echoed by tens of thousands of Jewish Canadians, to host an Emergency Summit on Antisemitism to address the troubling rise of anti-Jewish bigotry in Canada.
“Jewish Canadians – already the most targeted religious minority in this country according to Statistics Canada – have recently experienced a troubling increase in antisemitic incidents both online and in the real world.
“Jews in Canada and around the globe are being targeted for their identity and for expressing solidarity with their fellow Jews in Israel who were under attack from Hamas, a listed terrorist organization. We have witnessed antisemitism targeting Jewish owned businesses, in schools, in workplaces, in unions, and on our streets. Moreover, we have seen an unprecedented spike in antisemitic vitriol expressed online.
“We look forward to working with the government and Special Envoy, the Hon. Irwin Cotler, to ensure that the Emergency Summit includes the right stakeholders at all levels of government, addresses the unique characteristics of antisemitism, and leads to a concrete plan of action that reassures Jewish Canadians that they are safe in Canada.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of Canada’s Jewish Federations.
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