Advocacy @ HBT: The week of January 16, 2026

Advocacy @ HBT: Help us welcome interfaith visitors to Holy Blossom Temple 

We are heartbroken to begin the new year with news of the horrific arson in Jackson, Mississippi. Like all of you, we understand that the burning of Beth Israel Synagogue, our sister Reform synagogue, is not a ‘stand-alone’ hate crime. Rather, it is tied into the rising tide of antisemitism that has swept across North America for more than two years. There is no doubt that in 2026, advocacy is a vital defence strategy.  

Sometimes that advocacy begins at home.  Tomorrow morning, January 17th, Holy Blossom Temple will be welcoming friends from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) to join us for Shabbat services. The IDI, primarily made up of Turkish Muslims, has been an ally and friend to our community for many years, including in the aftermath of October 7th. Last year, we hosted them for Iftar to celebrate Ramadan and made a joint visit to the University of Toronto Rare Book Library to learn about the rich shared literary tradition of Jews and Muslims.  

If you are looking for a way to connect with open-minded members of the Canadian Muslim community, who are explicitly open to being our friends and allies, we encourage you to come to Shabbat tefilla tomorrow morning and introduce yourself to our guests at the Oneg. Welcome them to Holy Blossom, hear their stories, and share some of your own. These small, human, and very personal touches are but one of the many ways that we build meaningful relationships and help restore the spirit of our beautiful city, “Toronto the Good.”  

If you are unavailable to join us tomorrow, on January 31st, a group of visitors from Grace Church on the Hill will be making a similar solidarity visit, and we would welcome you to join us then, too.  

Learn more about Advocacy here.