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Trump’s Mideast Peace Plan Charts Two-State Course for Israelis, Palestinians
FSWC is examining the Middle East peace plan that was unveiled by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The plan includes conceptual maps as part of a two-state solution that sets aside more land for a demilitarized Palestinian state, grants Israel sovereignty over Jerusalem with Palestinians gaining a capital that will include areas of East Jerusalem, and allows Arab residents of Jerusalem to choose to become citizens of Israel or of the new Palestinian state.
“At stake is the preservation of Israel’s security and stability in the long run, with Jerusalem as its eternal capital, while ensuring a free and democratic Palestinian state that is willing to live peacefully alongside the Jewish state,” said FSWC president and CEO Avi Benlolo.
In a statement released yesterday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center applauded President Trump’s Middle East peace plan, stating, “We applaud the President’s long-standing friendship to the State of Israel and his commitment to try to help the Palestinians build a better future for themselves...But the success or failure of this plan does not rest in Washington but rather in Jerusalem and Ramallah.”
Poll on Canadians’ Knowledge of Holocaust Reveals Need for Holocaust Education Remains
FSWC is continuing to increase its outreach to bring Holocaust education to schools across Canada after a poll released last week reveals gaps in Canadians’ knowledge of the Holocaust. According to a poll by the Association for Canadian Studies, only 43 per cent of Canadians surveyed correctly identified how many Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust, while less than 50 per cent of people in most parts of Canada believed antisemitism was a problem in Canada during the Second World War.
WATCH: Avi Benlolo Speaks with CTV News About 75th Anniversary of Liberation of Auschwitz
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is "a reminder of not only the genocide that took place, it's also about humanity. It's also a good reset for us to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves what we're capable of doing and why there were so many people who were complicit in the Holocaust and stood by," said FSWC's Avi Benlolo during an interview with CTV News on Monday.
How 3D Holograms and AI Are Preserving Holocaust Survivors' Stories
Canadian Holocaust survivor Max Eisen spend five days last month in a studio in Los Angeles not only looking back at the Holocaust and his experience, but going over every minute detail of his life for a high-tech project that will preserve his voice long after he's gone. Eisen is the 25th person and the first Canadian to undergo the process.
FSWC Demands York Admin to Take Action After Jewish Students Told Their “Vibes” Not Welcome at Multicultural Parade
FSWC is outraged by another display of blatant antisemitism at York University, after the student union’s multicultural parade earlier this week was officially opened by a student wearing a shirt that said “anti-Zionist vibes only.” The parade’s rebuke of Jewish students and the Jewish movement for self-determination was particularly disturbing given that it fell on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In a letter today to York President Rhonda Lenton, copied to the York Board of Governors and VP Students as well as to Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, FSWC expressed its outrage about this latest example of unfettered antisemitism on the York campus and demanded that the administration take rapid and decisive action to address the incident.
UofT Administration Urged to Take Action After Student Union Commits to Antisemitic Boycott
FSWC is demanding action from the University of Toronto administration after the university’s student union representing the Scarborough campus has decided to boycott pro-Israel speakers and organizations. The decision came after a pro-Israel speaker was invited to the campus to deliver a lecture. The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) decided that going forward it must “refrain from engaging with organizations or participating in events that further normalize Israeli apartheid.”
FSWC Pressing for Rapid Police Investigation After White Supremacist Flyers Distributed Across East Vancouver
FSWC has reached out to Vancouver Police asking for a quick and determined investigation after white supremacist flyers were distributed to homes across East Vancouver. The flyers call on white men to resist “anti-white propaganda.” They feature a crossed out Star of David as well as a crossed out Islamic star and crescent.
US House Passes Never Again Education Act on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On Monday, the US House of Representatives passed the Never Again Education Act by a vote of 393-5. The bill, which is headed to the US Senate, seeks to expand the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's education programming to teachers nationwide to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and its lessons.
Rising Antisemitic Violence Not Reflected in US Views on Jews
According to a poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, while there has been a surge in antisemitic violence in recent years, the percentage of Americans holding "intensely" antisemitic views has "declined significantly" since 1964 and has "stayed relatively flat at the lower end over the past two decades."
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 jaime@fswc.ca.
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