Last week Holy Blossom Temple was honoured to welcome MP Anthony Housefather, the newly appointed special adviser to the federal government on Jewish community relations and antisemitism. MP Housefather spoke candidly with our advocacy committee and rabbis and over 150 members of our community about his work fighting anti-Zionism inside his party, building bridges and alliances that will help protect the Jewish community, and the cooperation with Deborah Lyons, the Special Envoy on Combatting Antisemitism. If you would like to watch the recording of this program, you can request access to the private video by emailing Kate Wooten at [email protected].  

We want to thank you, the good people of Holy Blossom Temple, for your consistent support and activism these last few months. Several weeks ago, we shared CIJA’s criticism about the recently appointed head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Birju Dattani. Pressure from concerned Canadians has led to Mr. Dattani resigning from his position. You can read CIJA’s response here. Your voice does matter! 

There are two new important and timely items to bring to your attention this week.  First, Hillel Ontario is hosting a virtual town hall on August 19th. To learn more about how Hillel will continue to protect and advocate for Jewish students on University Campuses, you can RSVP by clicking here.  

And second, CIJA has joined the fight to pressure the Prime Minister to enforce the law regarding terrorist flags, hate symbols, hate speech, and allowing terrorist organizations freedom to act in Canada. You can express your concern to the Prime Minister by sending an email through the CIJA portal here.