Media Accreditation is Open For Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It

October 16-17, 2023 | Shaw Centre, Ottawa

Notables confirmed include Poilievre, Blanchet, Herzog, Kraft

Irwin Cotler to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Ottawa, ON – September 20, 2023 – Media interested in applying for accreditation for Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It may do so through the conference press centre at https://www.fightit.ca/press_centre. Accreditation closes on Monday, October 9, 2023.

On October 16 and 17, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), JFC-UIA, and Canada’s Jewish Federations will host Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It, the first-ever wide-scale convening of Jewish Canadians and community allies to face, fight, and push back against antisemitism.

The groundbreaking event will present a comprehensive agenda exploring two content streams centred on antisemitism – how to Face It and how to Fight It – integrating advocacy training, seminars featuring more than 30 Canadian and international experts, and face-to-face meetings with decision-makers, all with the goal of empowering, educating, and uniting Canadians in the fight against hate and antisemitism.

Programming highlights include:

• *NEW* Keynote addresses from Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre and Leader of the Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet
• *NEW* The Honourable Irwin Cotler will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his enduring commitment to the pursuit of justice for all people and the advancement of human rights for the world’s most vulnerable and oppressed
• *NEW* Remarks from Ronald S. Lauder, President, World Jewish Congress (video)
• *NEW* Remarks from Robert Kraft, Founder, Foundation to Combat Antisemitism; Owner, New England Patriots (video)
• *NEW* Remarks by Ambassador-Designate Iddo Moed and Israeli President Isaac Herzog (video)
• *NEW* The story of the National Holocaust Monument with MP Tim Uppal
• Parliamentary reception with key elected officials and decision-makers
• Exclusive live taping of Curse of Politics: The Herle Burly Political Panel

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About Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It

Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It is a two-day conference in Ottawa on October 16 and 17, 2023, organized by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), JFC-UIA, and Canada’s Jewish Federations. It will be the first-ever wide-scale convening of the Jewish community from across Canada focused on mobilizing Jewish Canadians and community allies – including elected officials and ethnic and faith partners – to unite, empower, and educate the community about how to face, fight, and push back against antisemitism.

Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It is presented by CIJA, JFC-UIA, and Canada’s Jewish Federations. It is sponsored by Fieldgate Families, Maspik! | JNF Canada, the Azrieli Foundation, the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation, Sylvan Adams, Ronald Reuben, the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, The Asper Foundation, Metropia, and the Posluns / Zagdanski family. The National Post is the official media partner of Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It.

About the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, representing Jewish Federations across Canada. CIJA is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect Jewish life in Canada through advocacy and to advance the public policy interests of Canada’s organized Jewish community. 

About Canada’s Jewish Federations

Recognized among Canada’s most respected charities, Jewish Federations have been a cornerstone of Jewish life in our country for more than 100 years. Through a collective model that brings together the largest, most diverse cross-section of community members, Federations advance the shared mission of preserving and strengthening the quality of Jewish life in Canada, Israel, and around the world through philanthropic, volunteer, and professional leadership. This work includes caring for the most vulnerable, fostering Jewish identity and education, strengthening connections with Israel and Jews worldwide, and countering antisemitism and hate, while also creating programming and infrastructure that serve the Jewish community and broader society alike. Jewish Federations have been established in every area of Canada home to a large Jewish community, which today includes the Atlantic Jewish Council, Calgary Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Edmonton, Hamilton Jewish Federation, London Jewish Federation, Federation CJA (Montreal), Jewish Federation of Ottawa, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Jewish Federation Greater Vancouver, Jewish Federation Victoria and Vancouver Island, Windsor Jewish Federation, and Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.

Media Contact

Interviews with Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, as well as with select speakers are available in advance of the conference. Interviews will also be available onsite. Please note that we will be scheduling all onsite interviews in advance of the conference to ensure we can accommodate as many requests as possible. Though we will do our very best, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate requests made onsite during the conference.

If you would like to attend or your outlet wishes to assign a journalist to cover the conference, please fill out the media accreditation request form available at https://www.fightit.ca/press_centre.

For more information or to coordinate interviews in advance of the conference, please contact: 

Nicole Amiel   
Director, Media Relations and GTA Communications
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
416.525.2592   
[email protected]

Press Centre: https://www.fightit.ca/press_centre 

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