Community Intelligence Brief: August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

Intelligence Brief

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Latest News

Trudeau Reiterates There Will Be Full Review of Funding for Anti-Racism Program After Laith Marouf Scandal

Yesterday at a media availability, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed the government is “in the process of doing a complete review to make sure that this organization is not getting any funding from the government” and “making sure that we’re putting in place procedures that ensure that this never happens again.”

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Former Liberal MP 'Disheartened' by Caucus Response to Anti-Racism Contracts

"Looking back on events over the last week (with) regards to Marouf affair, I’m utterly disheartened," FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt tweeted regarding a lack of response from MPs to antisemitic statements made by Laith Marouf, the founder and senior consultant of a group that received government anti-racism funding. "Taking a stand against antisemitism should be a given (and) yet so few of my former Liberal colleagues have done so. This truly hurts. Jewish MPs shouldn’t be left to call this out alone."

"It wasn't until after Levitt's tweet, and another one from (MP Anthony) Housefather asking all 338 MPs to condemn the antisemitism, that a significant number of Liberal MPs spoke up," Mia Rabson of the Canadian Press writes.

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Worldwide Search Is on for Holocaust Survivors to Testify at War Crimes Trial

FSWC’s Jaime Kirzner-Roberts is leading the search in Canada, as she works with Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Efraim Zuroff to find witnesses for the upcoming trial in Germany of a former Nazi guard who served at Ravensbruck concentration camp. Survivors and relatives of victims who were at the camp between April 1943 and March 1945 are being asked to come forward.

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Canadian Diplomat Tries to Hide Meeting with Convicted Terrorist After Uproar

The Canadian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority deleted a tweet about its top diplomat’s meeting with Palestinian official and convicted terrorist Jibril Rajoub, describing him as a “friend of Canada,” following an uproar.

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Jewish Man Killed by Muslim Roommate in France; Community Questions Official Silence

A Jewish man was killed in France by his Muslim roommate, who told police he committed the crime over 100 euros he was owed and because the victim was Jewish, a French Jewish antisemitism watchdog group reported Monday. While French officials have publicly remained silent, the senior advisor to France's Chief Rabbi said Tuesday that the authorities have investigated the matter and claimed it's not antisemitic.

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Munich Olympics Massacre Families Reach Agreement Over Compensation

Family members of the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre - in which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists - have reached an agreement with the German government over a compensation payment, just days before the atrocity’s 50th anniversary ceremony.

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Japan, Israel Step Up Defence Ties Amid Regional Tensions

This year, Japan and Israel mark 70 years of diplomatic ties. On Tuesday, the countries' defence ministers shared concerns about growing global tensions from Asia to the Middle East and signed an agreement to strengthen defence cooperation.

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A New Cookbook Showcases Auschwitz Survivors' Recipes and Resilience

Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors is a new cookbook that showcases recipes that connected survivors to the worlds they lost and gave them comfort as they built new lives after the Holocaust. It also contains inspiring stories from the survivors as well as archival and contemporary photographs showing their resilience.

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Report Antisemitism and News of Concern to FSWC

If you would like to report antisemitism or news of concern to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, please email advocacy@fswc.ca.