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Jewish Student Group Feels Targeted by a Toolkit Circulating at York University
Jewish student group Hillel has been left feeling targeted at York University after a "Toolkit on Teaching Palestine" started to circulate. The toolkit was distributed by CUPE 3903 to its members, calling on all teaching assistants at the university to "collectively divert" tutorials to focus on teaching about "Palestinian liberation" and accusing the university of being complicit in "Israel's occupation of Palestine" through its relationships with "Zionist cultural institutions (e.g. Hillel)."
"Being a Jewish student, this is one of the only places I do feel safe on campus, and the labelling and calling out makes it feel like Hillel kind of is a target now," one student told CTV News.
FSWC Outraged by CUPE Calling On York U TAs to Misuse Tutorials for Anti-Israel Lessons, and Targeting Jewish Student Group
This week, FSWC met with York University President Rhonda Lenton and issued a letter to CUPE National to express outrage after learning of the blatantly biased and malicious "Toolkit on Teaching Palestine" sent to CUPE 3903 members. During a discussion with Lenton, FSWC's Michael Levitt said the targeting of a Jewish group and misuse of tutorials to promote anti-Israel rhetoric seriously undermine a safe space for Jewish students and faculty at York, and called on the administration to protect its Jewish community.
Community Unites to Support Vandalized Fredericton Synagogue
More than 100 people gathered outside Sgoolai Israel Synagogue in downtown Fredericton on Sunday afternoon after it was found vandalized on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The synagogue plans to add security cameras to the building following the incident.
FSWC Applauds Canada’s Suspension of Funds to UNRWA Amid Reported Evidence of Employees’ Involvement in Oct. 7 Hamas Attack
Canada has joined more than a dozen countries in freezing additional funding to UNRWA following revelations that some of its employees allegedly took part in Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities in southern Israel.
"While the suspension of funds to UNRWA is an important action at this time, it’s long overdue given the agency’s long history of supporting anti-Israel and antisemitic incitement, especially in its schools," said FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt.
Jews Are Shunned and Discriminated Against by the Social Work Profession
"It saddens me that the Jewish experience appears to be exempt from discussions about hatred," a social work student at York University told the National Post. The exposé features a number of Jewish voices, including students and those in the field of social work, who discuss not only the failure of universities to include antisemitism in the social work curriculum, but also their exacerbation of antisemitism through the demonization of Israel.
Toronto Man Arrested in Connection with Vandalism of Jewish School
Toronto police have arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with the vandalism of a Jewish school's front steps, in the area of Vaughan Road and Eglinton Avenue West, last December. Police are treating the investigation as a suspected hate-motivated offence.
Nazi Death Camp Survivors Mark 79th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation on Holocaust Remembrance Day
About 20 survivors of Nazi death camps marked the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in a ceremony on Saturday in southern Poland. They laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the Death Wall in Auschwitz, where the Nazis executed thousands of inmates.
BMG Splits With Roger Waters Over Pink Floyd Co-Founder’s Comments on Israel
The German-based company that signed a publishing agreement with Roger Waters in 2016 is parting ways with the musician over his inflammatory comments about Israel, Ukraine and the US, including those that have veered into antisemitism.
Israeli Hockey Wins Gold at U20 Tourney After Ban Reversed
Israel’s Under-20 men’s national ice hockey team won a gold medal with a perfect record at the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) U20 World Championship Division III, Group A after it defeated Mexico 6-3. The gold medal - received on a day with symbolic meaning, International Holocaust Remembrance Day - came after the IIHF reversed its initial decision to ban the team from participating due to supposed security concerns.
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.
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