Advocacy @HBT: 2024 by the Numbers

Reviewing 2024 by the Numbers! 

As 2024 ends, the Advocacy Committee would like to review some of the successes of the year! 

• We sent 28 eblasts throughout the year, highlighting over 100 ways that you could get involved with our efforts, both locally and internationally! 
• The Advocacy Committee made relationships with over 15 partner organizations within the greater Jewish community. 
• Our members established new relationships with 7 like-minded interfaith partners, reaching dozens of congregations, and thousands of people. 
• We had our best turnout ever for the UJA Walk with Israel, joining 50,000 friends and allies! 
• Advocacy communications helped distribute the newly published government handbook on combatting antisemitism, supporting the IHRA definition, to 5,319 email subscribers!   
• Anthony Housefather visited Holy Blossom in July, speaking to more than 100 members of our community about his role as the Special Advisor on Jewish Community relations.  
• We were honoured to host Deborah Lyons in the Sanctuary on November 13th, with over 500 people attending in person and online. The recording of that conversation with the Special Envoy has been watched on YouTube more than 300 times!  

And there’s more to come in 2025! Thank you for joining your voice to ours this year. Chazak, Chazak V’neithazek! חזק חזק ונתחזק 

Strength, strength! May you be strengthened!  

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

Advocacy victory in court / the Prime Minister must act!  

• Court Rules in UJA’s favour after targeted discrimination
• CIJA calls on the Prime Minister to act

One year ago, in December 2023, the Jewish community gathered in Ottawa to rally against antisemitism. Like many in Toronto, our group arrived at the Promenade Mall before dawn, waiting for a bus that would take us to Ottawa. Holy Blossom’s Bus 32 was one of the 17 buses that did not show up on the morning of the rally. While our members found their way to Ottawa in other ways, we knew that this was a clear and targeted act of discrimination against the Jewish community. UJA knew it too and took legal action. This week, UJA reports that the court has issued a judgment against the bus company to pay back what is owed. Our own Eli Mogil, providing his legal services pro-bono, was instrumental in this victory. 

Our advocacy matters. Our personal skills, talents, connections, and professional expertise matter. The Advocacy Committee will soon announce a new programme to help you utilize your network, skills, and resources to be a more effective advocate for our community.    

Once again, this week CIJA calls on the Prime Minister and high-ranking ministers in public safety and justice to act against radicalization and hate crimes in Canada. CIJA has four asks for the federal government, in the hope that their implementation will reduce the staggering rate of antisemitic acts in Canada. You can learn more about their proposal here, and add your voice to the chorus that says the government needs to act now! 

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

The week of November 22, 2024

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, spoke at Holy Blossom last week. 

• Watch the recording of this important programme

Holy Blossom Temple was proud to host Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, last week.  The Advocacy Committee knows that bringing Deborah Lyons to speak to our greater community was both timely and vital. Her visit helps reinforce the knowledge that synagogues have an important role in building interfaith alliances against antisemitism.  

In a fireside chat with our very own Tom Friedland, the Special Envoy discussed the recent release of the Government of Canada’s Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, her role on the federal stage, working with our non-Jewish allies, and how we can all participate in combatting antisemitism in schools, the workplace, and the public square. It was an inspiring evening that included active participation from non-Jewish clergy, Jewish and non-Jewish university students, and members of our congregation. 

Click here to see the Handbook

Learn more about Advocacy@HBT here.  

The week of November 8, 2024

IHRA Antisemitism Handbook Released / Deborah Lyons to discuss the Handbook NEXT WEEK at Holy Blossom / Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism provides additional IHRA resources.  

• The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Handbook has been published! 
• Special Envoy Deborah Lyons, whose office released this handbook, will be at Holy Blossom Temple on November 13th! 
• Get more insights and resources on the IHRA Handbook from the ALCCA.  

After years of dedicated work, the Canadian Government and the office of Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, have released the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Handbook. This is a vital and timely resource for identifying and addressing antisemitism, in both traditional and subtle forms. You can read the handbook in its entirety here, or learn about it from CIJA at this link.  

Deborah Lyons, whose helped author the handbook, will join us in person on Wednesday, November 13th  at 7:00 pm. Special Envoy Lyons will inform us about her ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, discuss the challenges faced by Jewish Canadians as they grapple with a historic rise in antisemitism, and engage in a moderated conversation with members of the Holy Blossom Temple Advocacy Committee. Please register at the above link and join us for a vital, timely, and deeply topical evening.  

An additional resource on the IHRA Handbook comes from the ALCCA. Click on the link to learn about the history of the document, how it can be utilized, and the next steps that are needed to transform it from a government document into a meaningful tool for fighting antisemitism.  

Advocacy @ HBT: What you can do

The week of October 25, 2024

Special Envoy Deborah Lyons coming to HBT, Antizionist Conference at U of T, CJPAC’s Year of Political Action

• Wednesday, November 13 at 7:00 pm – Special Envoy Deborah Lyons will speak to Holy Blossom Temple about our fight against antisemitism in Canada.
• Hillel Ontario needs our help, send the message “UofT is not the place for your hate and propaganda!”  
• CJPAC’s Year of Political Action starts now!

Please join us at Holy Blossom Temple for an important conversation with Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, Deborah Lyons on Wednesday, November 13th  at 7:00 pm. Special Envoy Lyons will inform us about her ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, discuss the challenges faced by Jewish Canadians as they grapple with a historic rise in antisemitism, and engage in a moderated conversation with members of the Holy Blossom Temple Advocacy Committee.

On November 8, University of Toronto will, regrettably, host a conference titled “The Anti-Zionist Idea: History, Theory and Politics.” This conference amplifies “notorious terror apologists and disguises antisemitic ideas as academic discourse.” Legitimizing these voices can only continue to foster hatred and hostility, endangering our students. Hillel Ontario asks that you add your voice to theirs and share your concerns with the leadership of University of Toronto.

CJPAC (the non-partisan Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee) has launched a year of political action to galvanize and mobilize the Jewish community and our allies. You can learn more about CJPAC’s three-pronged approach here. “With the possibility of a federal election being called anytime in the year ahead, there’s no time to wait.” Together we can go beyond the voting booth to strengthen our democracy.