1. FSWCInvestigating Incident at York University That Left Jewish High School StudentsFeeling Targeted

Following reports from students and a community organization, FSWC reached out to the chancellor of York University regarding an incident that occurred on Friday where students from two Toronto-area schools, including Westmount Collegiate Institute, ended their field trip in dismay. Students attended a workshop on racism at York University to learn about the history of residential schools in Canada and how to prevent racism - only to be left feeling like the targets of racism. According to students, a professor accused the students - many of whom are Jewish - of "white privilege." When a student brought up antisemitism as a type of racism, the professors avoided discussing the topic. Students also shared their concerns regarding the professors comparing residential schools to concentration camps.

FSWC will continue to investigate this incident. 

2.Texas State Senate Passes Anti-BDS Bill, Governor Expected to Sign into LawTomorrow on Yom Ha'atzmaut

Texasstate senators passed an anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions bill by a voteof 26-5 on Thursday, in a strong show of support for the State of Israel. FSWCcommends the Texas Senate for taking this step and joining 18 other states thathave passed similar bills. The bill, which would restrict Texas stategovernment contracts from being awarded to firms which have adopted theanti-Israel BDS campaign, is now set to be signed into law by Texas GovernorGreg Abott (R) tomorrow on Israel’s Independence Day. Over 300 companies basedin Texas do significant business with Israel, and Texas exports nearly $500million dollars in goods every year to the Jewish State.  

3. Israel’s Population Hits 8.7 Million

On the eve of the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, Israel’s population stood at 8.68 million people, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS). ICBS states that of Israel’s 8.68 million people, 74.7 per cent (6.48 million) are Jewish, 20.8 per cent (1.8 million) are Arab (both Christian and Muslim), while the other 4.5 per cent are non-Arab Christians, or members of other religions. There are also reportedly over 180,000 foreign nationals living in the Jewish State. The population of Israel has grown by almost 160,000 in the past year alone, and is projected to reach 15 million by Israel’s centennial in 2048.

4. Israeli F-35 Fighter Jets toParticipate in Air Force Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebrations for First Time

Israel’s cutting-edge new fighter jet, the F-35Ijoint-strike-fighter, isset to participate in the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) annual Yom Ha’atzmaut celebratoryfly-bys for the first time ever this year. The IAF fly-bys – held acrossIsrael – are a popular tradition in the Jewish State, and provide the IsraeliDefence Force an opportunity to display Israel’s military airpower to theIsraeli citizenry in a celebratory setting. The fly-bys will mark not only theF-35I’s first time flying on Israel’s Independence Day, but will also be thefirst time the jet has been shown to the Israeli public in an active role sinceIsrael began receiving the finished jets from producer Lockheed Martin latelast year.

5. North Korea Threatens Israel with ‘Punishment’

North Korea’s state-run news agency has threated the State of Israel with “merciless, thousand-fold punishment” after Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un a “madman” during an interview last week. Liberman - who had been asked a question regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program - said that Kim Jong Un was a “madman” and he, along with the leaders of Syria and Iran, formed an “insane and radical” group which is destabilizing the world. The statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that Liberman had hurt the “dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea, and accused Israel of being a “culprit of crimes against humanity.”

6.FSWC at Work

FSWC is set for a busy month of May, withour educational programming in high-demand, and with our annual Spirit of HopeGala kicking off on Thursday May, 18th - with featured guests theformer Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, and the former Prime Ministerof the United Kingdom, David Cameron. FSWC’s state-of-the-art, award-winning,mobile learning classroom, the Tour forHumanity, will be travelling over 1,500 km in the next two weeks alone, asFSWC educators will be visiting communities in Northern Ontario, includingNorth Bay, Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie. FSWC educators will be providingeducational services for local northern schoolboards, as well northern policeand community services. FSWC is committed to ensuring that all Canadians haveaccess to tolerance and community building educational services, includingthose in northern, rural, or remote areas.  

PHILANTHROPYCORNER: FSWC is a designated Canadian charitable organizationthat provides tax receipts for charitable contributions. A donation to FSWC istax deductible and provides an incredible footprint of direct action in ourcommunity. If you want to change lives and provide for positive communitydevelopment, consider extending your philanthropy to Friends of SimonWiesenthal Center this fall. Make it count.