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Hate Crimes in Canada Reach Highest Recorded Level

Statistics Canada released hate crime statistics for 2020 yesterday, revealing that police-reported hate crimes increased by 37 per cent last year and reached the highest number ever recorded, 2,669. The Jewish community was the second-most targeted group, with 321 hate crimes, after the Black community, which was the target of 663 hate crimes. The East or Southeast Asian community saw a staggering 301 per cent increase in hate crimes from 2019.

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Jewish Artifacts Stolen During Holocaust Now in U.S. Custody

A trove of religious artifacts stolen from Jewish synagogues and homes in Europe during the Holocaust are now in the hands of U.S. authorities who plan to return them to their communities of origin.

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Tokyo Olympics: Iranian Defector Dedicates Silver Medal to Israel

Iranian defector Saeid Mollaei, a judoka representing Mongolia in the Tokyo Olympics, took home the silver medal yesterday, two years after he left his native Iran when he was ordered to lose in the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo to avoid facing an Israeli in the final. Mollaei said he was thankful for the support he received from Israel over the years and "this medal is dedicated also to Israel."

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2nd Judoka Pulls Out of Olympics in Apparent Move to Avoid Facing Israeli

Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool didn’t show up to face Israel’s Tohar Butbul on Monday, just a couple days after Algeria’s Fethi Nourine was sent home from the Tokyo Games and suspended by the International Judo Foundation for withdrawing to avoid a potential matchup with Butbul. While a reason was not given for the Sudanese athlete pulling out, the Algerian athlete said his support for the "Palestinian cause" made it impossible to compete against an Israeli.

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Unilever Disavows BDS; Ben & Jerry’s Board Chair: ‘I Am Not Antisemitic’

One week after Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would stop selling ice cream in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the company’s board chair for the first time publicly rejected the suggestion that the move was antisemitic. And the brand’s parent company, Unilever, disavowed the movement to boycott Israel.

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A Birthday Gift: Israeli Woman Donates Kidney to Gaza Boy

Idit Harel Segal, a kindergarten teacher from northern Israel, hoped her choice would set an example of generosity in a land of perpetual conflict. She was spurred by memories of her late grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, who told her to live meaningfully, and by Jewish tradition, which holds that there’s no higher duty than saving a life.

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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 jaime@fswc.ca.

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