CIJA: Report Dismisses Lived Experience of Jewish Students, Families, And Educators
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CIJA
|April 24, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CIJA: REPORT DISMISSES LIVED EXPERIENCE OF JEWISH STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND EDUCATORS
Toronto, ON – April 23, 2025 – In response to the Final report on the review of the Toronto District School Board’s excursions policy and procedure, released today, Michelle Stock, Vice President, Ontario, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, released the following statement:
"While we are unfortunately not surprised by the report released today, we are deeply disturbed by its conclusions — and by how blatantly it dismisses the lived experience of Jewish students, families, and educators.
"For the past 18 months, Jewish students, parents, and staff across the TDSB have endured a relentless campaign of intimidation, silencing, and antisemitic abuse — all for simply being Jewish. No student in Toronto should be subjected to the trauma of hearing crowds chant genocidal slogans. Yet that is exactly what happened — and it happened on a school-sanctioned field trip.
"The investigator, Patrick Case, even admits in his report that the emotional safety of Jewish students was compromised. Yet, in the same breath, he minimizes the severity by stating that their physical safety was not. This distinction is offensive. It shows a shocking lack of understanding of trauma and effectively erases the psychological toll of targeted hate.
"The report’s attempt to "balance" perspectives is not only tone-deaf — it is dangerous. By downplaying what Jewish students experienced, it sends a chilling message: that antisemitic abuse doesn’t count unless it turns violent. That’s unacceptable.
"Let us be absolutely clear: the students, families, staff, and broader Jewish community who were impacted by this event are not just disappointed — they are retraumatized by a report that invalidates their pain.
"There can be no moral ambiguity here. No excuses, no political hedging, and no shameful attempts to "both-sides" this. Jewish students felt threatened, unsafe, and abandoned — and that should have been the focus of this investigation.
"Even the government acknowledged "a lack of judgment and poor planning for student emotional safety." That alone should have demanded a stronger, more unequivocal response.
"Antisemitism is not theoretical. It is real. It is happening in our schools. And it is harming our children. School boards have a responsibility — a legal and moral one — to protect students from hate, full stop.
"The government must now do what this report failed to do: issue clear directives to school boards, administrators, and educators on how to handle emotionally charged and politically sensitive situations — and ensure that every student, regardless of background, can learn in an environment free of hate, fear, and ideological intimidation."
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