Your Impact: Making Toronto Safer

Today, our community woke up to the news of a horrific, antisemitic attack in Washington, D.C. As we mourn the heinous murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky at the hands of an assailant who shouted “Free Palestine”, we call on Canadian authorities to take concrete measures to protect our community.

While there is much that needs to be done, Toronto City Council took an important step forward in passing a safe access bylaw today. We are grateful for all in our community—and our allies—who advocated for this policy together with our CIJA team. Our collective efforts not only helped pass this bylaw, but ensure it was amended to be even stronger.

Here's our full statement on today's development. Thank you again for speaking out, and standing up for what's right.

Warmly,  

Michelle Stock  
Vice President, Ontario 

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“Yesterday in Washington, we witnessed how unchecked hate can escalate into violence. When pro-Hamas mobs march through our streets glorifying terrorism and calling for violence against Jews, it causes real harm to communities and puts lives at risk.

“With this decision, the City of Toronto has taken a meaningful step toward protecting Torontonians. There is broad support for safe access zones from diverse religious and ethnocultural leaders who recognize that freedom of expression does not include a right to intimidate, bully, and harass communities.

“We thank Mayor Chow and the members of Council who took a principled stand today and acted to ensure that children, seniors, and families feel safe walking into their schools, daycares, and places of worship. Organized campaigns of hate don’t just target one community – they threaten the social fabric of our city.

“CIJA will continue working with all levels of government to ensure Jewish institutions and all vulnerable communities are protected.”

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