This November, Help Keep Holocaust Memory Alive
As we enter November, Jewish communities across Canada will mark Holocaust Education Month with programs that honour the six million Jews murdered.
This work has never been more important. Holocaust distortion and denial are spreading, and memorials have even been defaced with anti-Israel graffiti. As in the darkest periods of our history, libels and conspiracies about Jews – from COVID to Gaza – are being weaponized by extremists to fuel hatred and violence.
Education is essential to confronting these dangers. By preserving the truth, challenging distortion and denial, and teaching future generations where antisemitism can lead, we can ensure the lessons of history are not forgotten.
This month, we encourage you to not only participate in local programs, but bring along a friend, neighbour or colleague.
Also in this newsletter: As Israelis await the formation of their next government following this week’s election, CIJA CEO Noah Shack writes in the National Post about Canada’s opportunity to rebuild its partnership with Israel around shared strategic interests; an invitation to join CIJA and Michal Cotler-Wunsh for a special Holocaust Education Month event in Ottawa; Canada’s new National Security Strategy and the need to prioritize combating antisemitism; and highlights from recent elections in Toronto and British Columbia.
The CIJA Team
The recent Israeli election provides an opportunity for the Canadian government to renew its relationship with Israel to strengthen security, economic and strategic interests, while giving Canada greater influence in advancing peace and stability in the Middle East.
For Jewish Canadians, this relationship also has deeply personal significance.
Israel is a foundational part of our history, culture and identity, just as other diaspora communities maintain connections to their ancestral homelands. At a time when that connection is increasingly being used to justify suspicion, discrimination and hostility toward Jewish Canadians, a stronger Canada–Israel relationship would reinforce that our Jewish identity and connection to Israel are entirely compatible with full and equal Canadian citizenship.
On November 9 at 7 p.m., CIJA is proud to partner with the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) in Ottawa for its opening event, featuring Michal Cotler-Wunsh, internationally recognized human rights advocate and leading voice on contemporary antisemitism.
Marking 80 years since the Nuremberg Trials, Cotler-Wunsh will explore their legacy in shaping international law and how the language of human rights and justice is increasingly being distorted and weaponized to advance contemporary antisemitism. Watch the reel to learn more and share widely.
We encourage you to attend this important event or explore the many Holocaust education programs taking place across Canada throughout November. Invite your friends, neighbours and colleagues to join you in learning about the Holocaust and its enduring lessons.
PT
Yesterday, CIJA welcomed the release of Canada's new National Security Strategy, which recognized that threats once considered distant are now immediate and proximate. For three years, Jewish Canadians have faced these threats directly.
As CIJA CEO Noah Shack emphasized, addressing antisemitism must be a priority in implementing the strategy. The strategy also presents an opportunity to strengthen Canada's security and economy through pragmatic international partnerships, including with Israel in defence, energy, technology and other areas of strategic importance.
Following municipal elections in Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba, and B.C.'s provincial election, CIJA is working with elected leaders to deliver on commitments to combat antisemitism, strengthen community safety and protect the institutions and services Jewish Canadians rely on. Below, we highlight key results and commitments from Toronto and British Columbia.
In Ontario, municipal elections were held on October 26. In the province's capital city, with Canada's largest Jewish community, Olivia Chow was re-elected Mayor. During the campaign, she outlined commitments to build on policing investments, expand security funding for vulnerable institutions and address antisemitism and hate. CIJA and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto are calling on elected leaders to make public safety, accountability, and the protection of all residents clear priorities. CIJA and UJA remain committed to engaging constructively with municipal leaders across the political spectrum, advocating for policies that protect vulnerable communities, and holding elected officials accountable for their commitments.
REVIEW MAYOR CHOW'S COMMITMENTS
In British Columbia, the Conservative Party of B.C., led by Lorne Doerkson, was elected to government. During the campaign, the party committed $1.5 million over three years to support security initiatives for Jewish schools, synagogues and community centres. Its commitments also include strengthening Holocaust education, protecting students, expanding anti-hate funding, supporting the Western Security Network, improving training for police and prosecutors, and adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
CIJA looks forward to working with the new government and opposition to ensure these commitments are fulfilled and Jewish British Columbians can live, learn and work safely.