This week in Canadian Jewish Advocacy | January 28, 2024

CIJA

|January 28, 2024

This week, we responded to the Order from the International Court of Justice. We advocated for the dismissal of a post-secondary instructor who publicly celebrated the horrors of October 7, we honoured the victims and the Survivors of the Shoah, and we encouraged journalists learning first-hand the repercussions of the October 7 massacres.

Read on to learn more.

The CIJA Team

On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

In response, the leaders of the J7, the Large Jewish Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, issued a joint statement. Read it here.

Educational institutions should be safe environments for all students. CIJA was gratified to learn that Natalie Knight, an instructor at British Columbia’s Langara College who publicly celebrated the October 7 terrorist attacks committed by Hamas as “an amazing, brilliant offensive” at a rally on October 28 in Vancouver has, after a lengthy suspension, been dismissed from the college. CIJA will continue to work with Langara College, and all other B.C. post-secondary institutions, to ensure that their campuses are safe environments for students, staff, and faculty from all backgrounds .” Read our full statement here.

January 27 was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an occasion to honour the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and the brave Survivors who, in Israel and around the world, rebuilt their lives after the horrors of the #Holocaust. Thousands of people around the world, including CIJA staff, took part in the World Jewish Congress’ #We Remember campaign.

On Friday, CIJA held its fourth annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. The event featured remarks from Holocaust Survivors, Jewish community leaders, and diplomatic representatives. Watch it here.

Learn more about International Holocaust Remembrance Day here.

Canadian journalists Rob Roberts from the National Post and Brian Lilley from the Toronto Sun were among a group of Canadians who joined a privately sponsored tour to Israel for media professionals to witness first-hand the atrocities committed on October 7. This week, they shared their experiences in their respective news outlets.

Roberts: The smell of horror in Israel's kibbutzim is hardest to forget

LILLEY: Those lecturing Israel should walk a mile in a kibbutz

Community Calendar

Communities are gathering in cities across Canada in response to the devastating war on Israel by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. Find an event near you.

January 28 | A Collection of Works of Art by Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants in Canada
February 19 | Family Day (CIJA offices closed in BC & ON)