Your key partnership this past year has been essential to the fight against unprecedented global antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred.

Dear Supporter,

I don’t have to tell you that we are facing a pivotal time for the Jewish State and Jewish people the world over.

I am deeply grateful to have had you and your fellow supporters at our side as Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) has made a difference in the struggle to safeguard our people, to empower our students on campus, to confront our enemies, and to win new allies in the fight against resurgent antisemitism and campaigns to demonize the Jewish State.

You know that FSWC stands with Jews here in Canada and around the world. Today, I am asking you to stand with us. Please renew your valued support of FSWC for 2019 today.

Your renewed support will put you at the front lines, playing a direct and active role in supporting all of our vital efforts.

You’ll help us fight antisemitism and extremism here in Canada. Nearly 15% of Canadians hold anti-Semitic views and believe that Jews in Canada have “too much influence” in the government, business and world media, according to a recent poll FSWC commissioned.

Those disturbing attitudes are reflected in intensifying anti-Semitic hate crimes and vandalism here in Canada. In just one of the recent incidents, three teens were arrested after hate-motivated graffiti – including swastikas and other racist drawings – was discovered on a school in Mississauga. Days later, a swastika was found spray painted on a school in London, Ontario.

You can count on FSWC to speak out against this racism, bigotry and hate. But more than speaking out, FSWC is taking measures to actively counter hatred before it starts through our high-level educational initiatives.

The work of our Tour for Humanity – the mobile classroom designed to inspire and empower Canadian students to raise their voices and take action against hate and intolerance – is more important than ever in this climate. Your support will help groups across Ontario to experience the state-of-the-art tolerance centre in this remarkable on-the-go resource.

FSWC offers interactive, educational programming specially designed for law enforcement personnel at all levels. This work is incredibly important today as our frontline first responders face an increasingly complex and globalized world.

You’ll support our efforts to fight back against the antisemitic, anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Universities across Canada continue to host annual “Israeli Apartheid Week” events full of anti-Israel propaganda and divisive rhetoric, and the atmosphere grows increasingly toxic for Jewish students, faculty and staff.

In just one recent example, at the University of British Columbia, a gala for the Geography Students Association scheduled to take place in a space owned by the UBC Hillel chapter was canceled after some of the geography faculty protested. The faculty members called Hillel “controversial” and objected to the organization’s “political” nature.

With your renewed support, FSWC will be able to continue to work closely with university and student leadership to help counter anti-Israel and antisemitic hate on campuses and support beleaguered pro-Israel students.

You’ll help us tell the TRUTH about Israel and the Jewish people. Our partner, the Academy Award®-winning Moriah Films division, produces documentaries that educate millions about the 3,500-year experience of the Jewish people, the Nazi Holocaust, and contemporary anti-Semitism.

Moriah’s newest film is about the life of the late Israeli President Shimon Peres and features interviews with several luminaries, including former U.S. presidents Obama, Clinton, George W. Bush, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

There are many fronts in the crucial struggle against this ancient hatred, but with your help, FSWC will continue facing down antisemitism, bigotry and extremism here in Canada and worldwide.

In everything we do, though, we must turn to YOU. Your renewed support is essential if we are to meet the tremendous challenges facing us in 2019.

Believe me, FSWC’s strength is directly linked to your renewed and ongoing support. So if you can possibly afford to send even more than you have in the past, you can rest assured it will be put to immediate good use.

Sincerely,

Avi Benlolo
President and CEO

P.S. As extremism escalates throughout the world, we haven’t a moment to rest. So please, renew today. (And be sure to check our website at www.fswc.ca or our Facebook page for breaking developments.) Thank you.