Advocacy @ HBT: The week of November 21, 2025

Advocacy @ HBT: Amplifying the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA)  

Deborah Lyons, who was our guest here at Holy Blossom last year (Watch: https://youtu.be/NvszoK-yUYE), stepped down from her role as Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism in mid-July. Her resignation made international headlines. However, for more than four months the government has not found a replacement for Ms. Lyons.  You can read the ALCCA’s thorough review of the urgent need for the government to fill this Special Envoy here.   You can also send an email to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and your local Member of Parliament, requesting that they move forward swiftly with naming an appropriate successor. A sample letter and contact information can be found at the link above.  

The TMU event where Jewish students were attacked on November 5th, continues to horrify our community. ALCCA has put together a very powerful document regarding this act of intimidation and hate, which we encourage you to read and share. While there is no direct call to action here, it is important for the Jewish community to stay informed and educated about the Jewish-targeted hate crimes occurring regularly in our city. We cannot allow this to become ‘normal’ for ourselves, for our community, or for our country.  As you know from previous e-blasts, this has been the focus of the Advocacy Committee’s ongoing engagement with our municipal Councillors. 

Finally, a reminder that Holy Blossom is screening the TIFF award-winning documentary “The Road Between Us” on December 3rd. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. We encourage you to invite your friends from the non-Jewish community to join us for this important evening. Several Christian and Muslim allies have already accepted our invitation to join, and we are looking forward to welcoming even more of our interfaith partners.  

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.