Advocacy @ HBT: UJA Walk with Israel, October 8, and Chag Sameach! 

• Save the date for the UJA Walk with Israel! We hope to see you, and all our friends and allies, on Sunday May 25th. 
• The powerful documentary October 8 is playing across Canada. Find a screening near you and reinforce its message. 
• We wish you and your families a blessed, safe, and wonderful Pesach! Our Seder Advocacy Project is detailed below.  

 The annual UJA walk with Israel is on May 25th! Last year nearly 50,000 people walked down Bathurst Street to support the Jewish community, stand with our families in Israel, and proudly reject Jew hatred in Canada. You can learn more and register here. Continue to watch this space for mustering information and how you can represent Holy Blossom at this vital event! 

The documentary film “October 8” is now playing across Canada. You can get tickets at this link, or at the websites of the various theatres showing the film. October 8 tells the story of the horrifying eruption of hatred and antisemitism which has infected North America in the shadow of October 7th. Whether you are seeing the film in a private showing, or in theatres, we encourage you to bring friends and amplify its message.  

As we did last year, during our festival of Pesach, we encourage you to invite a guest to your seder: one of your friends, neighbours, or co-workers who is not Jewish! Opening our homes this Passover is more important than ever. When asked, non-Jews who stand up to antisemitic ideologies overwhelmingly shared that it was their relationships with Jewish friends which motivated their convictions. Let us work together to be part of that story! Chag Sameach!  

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

Meeting with our MP Postponed; Survey from the Special Envoy on antisemitism targeting children closes this week; City of Toronto ‘Bubble Legislation’ Survey; and CJPAC Election Workshop  

• Our March 30th round table conversation with MP Don Stewart is postponed due to the Federal Election.
•  The Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, supported by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, has opened a confidential survey to discuss antisemitic incidents targeting children. Please share and respond!
• The City of Toronto has released a survey on protests and their effect on our lives. This possible ‘bubble legislation’ could protect houses of worship from being targeted as protest sites.
• CJPAC Digital Election Workshop on Friday, April 4th.

While we were excited to welcome our sitting MP to Holy Blossom for a neighbourhood check-in, the calling of the Federal Election on April 28th requires us to postpone the programme. Holy Blossom is a non-partisan organization holding charitable status. Once the election is complete, we will look forward to inviting our federal representative to join us. To learn more about Elections Canada and how to vote click here.  

While there have been well-documented reports of antisemitism in Ontario schools, official government data is needed to further combat Jew hatred in Canada. The Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, working with UJA, has opened a vital survey to report incidents of antisemitism in Ontario schools. If you are a parent of a child in an Ontario school, please take part in this confidential and anonymous survey. The survey closes shortly, on March 31st, so please share and fill it out this week! 

If you would like to share your experience with the City of Toronto regarding your experiences with protestors in the last several months and years, you can do so here. The City is considering enacting ‘bubble legislation,’ making certain vulnerable locations (such as houses of worship) protected areas where protesters would not be permitted. The survey closes on May 1st.  

A CJPAC Election Workshop with CJPAC’s Managing Director, Emile Scheffel, will take place digitally on April 4th. If there is a candidate with positive views on Israel who has inspired you to canvass for them, and you would like to gain or develop those skills, please register here.  

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

Advocacy @ HBT: CJPAC Election Toolkit Rescheduled; Mark Sandler of the ALCCA on utilizing legal methods to fight antisemitism; and MP Don Stewart at Holy Blossom Temple.  

• Our March 17th CJPAC program will need to be postponed; a new time and date coming soon!  
• March 18th at 7:30 pm, join Mark Sandler of the ALCCA to explore legal avenues for fighting antisemitism.  
• March 30th at 10:30 am, join Toronto-St. Paul’s MP, Don Stewart, for a round table conversation outside Holy Grounds.  

Our Monday, March 17th CJPAC Election Resources Program needs to be rescheduled. Apologies to all who registered, and thanks to all who are interested. We are working hard to find a new date with CJPAC as soon as possible! 

The Canadian Institute for Jewish Research welcomes Mark Sandler of the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA) to discuss “How You Can Use the Law to Fight Antisemitism.” They invite everyone – including non-lawyers – to join them and “educate yourself on the multiple options readily available and how you can fight back legally no matter where in Canada you reside.” Learn more here! 

Holy Blossom Temple has a long history of serving as a hub for our elected officials to interact with the community. We are pleased to continue this tradition by inviting our MP, Don Stewart, for a neighbourhood check-up. He will be available on Sunday, March 30th, from 10:30 am till noon, outside of Holy Grounds Café in the Schwartz-Reisman Atrium. Please join us.  

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

Advocacy @ HBT: York Federation of Students President Glorifies Terrorism and Erin Molan comes to Toronto

• Hillel Ontario demands York Federation of Student President Resign. 
• Erin Molan speaks about the rights and dignities of Jewish people. 

This week, in the wake of the bus bombings that rocked Israel, the President of the York Federation of Students, Somar Abuaziza, has taken to social media to glorify terrorism. Hillel Ontario asks that you add your name to theirs in demanding that she resign. Help protect Jewish students at York and stop Abuaziza from representing the student body.

 

Erin Molan is an Australian broadcaster who has publicly and widely defended Israel and the Jewish people on international media, at risk to her own professional success. She will be in Toronto on March 16 to speak about ethical clarity and sticking to your principles. This programme is presented by TAFSIK. It is a reminder that there are good allies in this world who stand with us.

 

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.

Leading Canadians Discuss Media Bias and Recommended Podcasts!  

• Register for a Media Bias Webinar with Warren Kinsella, Dana Levenson and Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich 
• Add these trusted Podcasts to your knowledge about Antisemitism and Israel! 

Advocacy @ HBT:  

On February, 26th at 7:30 pm, Jewish Dental Fraternity Alpha Omega, will be presenting a webinar on media bias. “Media Reporting: Facts and Propaganda” is moderated by our neighbour Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich and will feature Warren Kinsella and Dana Levenson. If you would like to attend and add important information about media bias to your advocacy toolkit, we encourage you to register here.  

There’s no doubt that media bias is real and in a rapidly changing world, it can be hard to know which sources to trust. Everyone is aware that 24-hour news channels can often be quite biased, and many of us have turned to ‘new media’ to search for nuanced information. As a committee, we recommend the following podcasts. The hosts are knowledgeable and do an excellent job of differentiating between opinion and fact.  

You can listen to them wherever you get your podcasts…  

Call me Back with Dan Senor: Dan Senor is a columnist and political advisor who offers a piercing insight and personal connections with leading experts on Israel.   

Israel Policy Pod: Israel Policy Forum’s podcast is precise and direct, consulting some of the most educated political scientists on the planet.  

For Heavens Sake: Doniel Hartman and Yosi Klein ha-Levi speak, and debate with candid honesty! Often changing each other’s mind, and sometimes their own.  

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Israel’s #1 English Language Newspaper provides insight and editorials on what is happening on a local and global level.  

For a full list of our recommended podcasts, check out the link here! 

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.