This week we strategized ways to leverage expertise in fighting antisemitism together at our Maspik! symposium. We asked you to add your voice in rejecting the government’s appointment of a new head of the CHRC whose past reveals anti-Israel and even antisemitic positions, and we reminded you to tell the TDSB that their report that fails to address antisemitism in schools is not good enough. We’ve organized a delegation to participate in Toronto’s Pride Parade to support the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community and, having wrapped up our first Introduction to Digital Advocacy series, we are working on the next – in both official languages. Stay tuned and…

Read on to learn more. 

CIJA

Following the government announcement of Birju Dattani as the next head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), social media posts and comments from Mr. Dattani have revealed a troubling past of anti-Israel and even antisemitic positions.

Dattani shared articles that compared Israel to Nazi Germany, spoke on a panel in the U.K. with a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic fundamentalist group that seeks to establish a new caliphate and opposes the existence of an Israeli state, and repeatedly lectured during “Israel Apartheid Week” at British universities about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Read a joint statement from CIJA and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center here. 

We urge you to help send the message to Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Birju Dattani must not be appointed Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Thousands have already responded to our request to call on the provincial government to remove politics from the classroom after the Toronto District School Board’s decision to receive the highly flawed Combating Hate and Racism – Student Learning Strategy Update Report, 2024 (CHR). If you have not yet asked ON Education Minister Smith to design and implement a province-wide solution that combats antisemitism effectively, please speak out today.

Maspik! (Enough!) – A Coalition to Combat Antisemitism funded by JNF and powered by CIJA, hosted Syposium: A Path Forward, the first in-person gathering of the 80+ coalition members and one at which most Canadian-based groups were represented. Facilitated by business leader Martha Durdin and featuring speakers David Herle, from the Gandalf Group and The Herle Burly Podcast, who shared insights into recent research about the mindsets and opinions of average Canadians, and Jason Moskovitz, who related his personal journey as a former CBC journalist and a father of two now living in Israel and his personal network’s views the current conflict. CIJA CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel reminded us of the importance of Maspik! to bring all community organizations together to combat antisemitism as a united group with a shared strategy, articulating the same message while bringing our respective skills to the table.

In addition to Coalition members, CIJA was delighted to welcome FSWC, B’nai Brith, and several grassroots groups to the session, brainstorming ideas to guide us to more productive and cooperative efforts. The day represented the beginning of a new spirit of collaboration that creates a platform to facilitate contributions from all.

Today, we will once again prove the unbreakable resilience of Toronto’s Jewish community by showing our 2SLGBTQIA+ support at Pride. Join us tonight for Sashay. Slay. Oy Vey, a queer, Jewish celebration of joy, togetherness and pride. Featuring heavy music queen, Alissa Brink. Registrants for the party must be 19 years or older.  

CIJA wrapped up Introduction to Digital Advocacy, a four-part series of one-hour webinars that provided participants with the fundamental knowledge required to identify, monitor, and report antisemitic and anti-Israel content and with best practices to create engaging social media content. You can find recordings of the first three sessions and a compilation of all the relevant links here. We will be offering another series in the fall, including one in French, so please keep an eye out for registration details over the next few months.

Community Calendar

June 30 | Pride Toronto Parade 2024
June 30 | UJA Genesis Pride Party
July 1 | Canada Day
August 5 | Civic Holiday
August 13 | Tisha B’av

Community Careers

Associate Director, University Relations - Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, CIJA
Associate Director Advocacy, Public and Independent Schools - Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, CIJA
Hillel Director - Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Chief Executive Officer - Calgary Jewish Federation
Vice President/Director of Development - Jewish Federation of Ottawa/Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation

CIJA in the News

• Sit this one out—or march loud and proud? Queer Jews face a hard choice in deciding whether to join Pride Toronto festivities in 2024 (The Canadian Jewish News) 
• Pro-Palestinian group in Sudbury wants Canada to ban nickel sales to Israel (Sudbury Star) 
• Fewer Canadians believe antisemitism, Islamophobia a problem: poll (Winnipeg Free Press) 
• “Anti-Zionist” Jews Disgrace Themselves (Jewish Post and News) 
• Iran’s Shia-only elections expose age-old intolerance (The Hill) 
• Interfaith group calls for protection of places of worship (Catholic Register) 
• Jason Murray appointed on Vancouver police board of directors (CBC Radio One 690 AM) 
• Jewish advocates question minister’s vetting of new head of human rights commission (The Globe and Mail) 
• The Rise In Anti-Semitism (The News Forum) 
• New head of Canadian Human Rights Commission investigated over allegations of anti-Israel activity (National Post + Postmedia Syndication) 
• Concern over new head of Canadian Human Rights Commission – 14:53 – 25:49 – Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge (QR Calgary 770 AM) 
• Feds reviewing new human rights commissioner's online posts after Jewish advocates raise concerns (CBC News) 
• New human rights chief apologizes for pain to Jewish community caused by tweets (The Globe and Mail) 
• Pro-Palestinian group in Sudbury calls for Canada to prohibit sale of nickel to Israel (CBC News) 
• Tories, Bloc Québécois, Jewish leaders say new human-rights chief should stand down (The Globe and Mail) 
• Danielle Kubes: Why some Jews are giving up on Canada (National Post) 
• WARMINGTON: New Human Rights Commissioner on ropes for alleged past anti-Israel comments (Toronto Sun + Postmedia Syndication) 
• Why are hate crimes on the rise in Canada’s largest city? Here’s what the numbers tell us (NOW Toronto) 
• Canada’s new human-rights chief denies BDS support, anti-Jewish posts (Jewish News Syndicate) 
• Interfaith alliance calls on Canada to protect places of worship from vandalism (Catholic Register) 
• The message in Toronto-St. Paul’s loss is ‘loud and clear,’ minister says (Global National News) 
• Antisemitism and Islamophobia: Ben Wexler considers a complicated relationship (The Canadian Jewish News) 
• Interfaith call for greater protection for religious institutions is timely, says Vancouver rabbi (B.C. Catholic) 
• Increasing Emigration of Canadian Jews to Israel Amid Rising Antisemitism (Weekly Voice) 
• Former justice minister David Lametti questions suitability of new human-rights chief (The Globe and Mail)