Friends,
Many of you have volunteered with us on the Ve’ahavta Van and signed up to do so again this year. Others of you work in their kitchen, support them with tzedakah, or funded their efforts through last year’s Gifts of Light concert.
We just received news that, last week, Ve’ahavta volunteers and staff were targeted by hateful and cowardly antisemites. Volunteers were accosted by an anti-Israel protestor as they were feeding the homeless, and the digital portal – which allows people to sign up for shifts caring for the poor – was the target of a malicious and disgusting digital hate campaign.
In response, Cari Kozierok, CEO of Ve’ahavta, has prepared a statement for the Mayor and City Council. She is asking that you, the concerned members of our community who have volunteered and supported the good work of feeding the hungry and clothing the homeless, help amplify this message. You can email the Mayor, our city councillor Josh Matlow, and all the other city councillors the following:
Dear Mayor Chow and Councillor [X],
My name is [X] and I support the Jewish charity, Ve’ahavta, which helps people of all faiths and backgrounds who are facing poverty and homelessness. At present, their good work, which benefits the most vulnerable people in our city, is being adversely affected by the rise in antisemitism in our city.
See their statement here.
I want to know what are you going to do to address the dangerous rise in antisemitism and antisemitic hate speech that we are seeing in the city of Toronto?
Signed,
[your name]
Thank you for lending us your voice and standing with our ally Ve’Ahavta!
Rabbi Samuel Kaye, Associate Rabbi and Megan Stephens, Volunteer Coordinator
It’s certainly not too late to register! And, it’s also not too late to invite your family and friends, including your non-Jewish allies, to walk with you!
Learn more about the Walk with Israel by clicking here.
We will meet at the Shoppers in Lawrence Plaza – look for the Holy Blossom Temple banner starting at 8:30 am! If you’d like to walk with our community, please arrive by 8:45 am, since the Walk starts at 9:00 am sharp just north of Lawrence Plaza. Please bring a positive attitude, ready to show your pride in Israel. (And, along with that positive attitude, please also bring water since there are no rest stops along the route.) Holy Blossom will provide positive signs supporting Israel and the hostages, as well as free HBT bags and other swag – while supplies last!
Additionally, on Monday, June 10th, our friends at TAFSIK will be holding an event in their “Kvetch on a Couch” series with Professor Gad Saad. Prof. Saad is a renowned evolutionary psychologist and free speech advocate. The event will be held at Holy Blossom Temple, with general admission starting at 7:00 pm. Registration is done through TAFSIK and tickets can be purchased here. Be aware that there are limited tickets left!
Am Yisrael Chai!
By Jonathan Nyquist
The resilience of the Israeli people is inspiring, but like any community, their ability to withstand pressure and stress has its limits, especially for a young country still finding its way. Help from abroad, especially at a time like now seems more important than ever. In this vein, my team and I who help young adults from around the world travel to Canada to engage in meaningful, community-based work and travel experience at camps across Canada felt inspired to step in to see how we can shed a small amount of light on the sad and troubling issues unfolding in Israel.
We reached out to a friend in Toronto who is well-connected with communities in Israel who were displaced due to the war. We were able to connect with a number of skilled and talented 16 to 18-year-olds who were closely tied to the youth movement in Israel and who were eager to take a break from their disrupted lives in these displaced communities. They were ready to let their wings sore and come to Canada for a break to recharge, explore the world and feel free again.
We amended our program to reduce the financial hurdles involved and we linked up with the UJA to set up a fund to pay for the flights for these inspiring young leaders of the future. We also teamed up with a number of dedicated Jewish camps who are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the staff and are excited to introduce them to their new summer homes.
It is a blessing to have an opportunity to play a very small role in making things better. The hope is to make this experience as enjoyable and as smooth as possible for the Israelis that participate this year and to build on this momentum and help many more for next summer. There is so much goodness in this world and it will always find its way through.
Thank you to Holy Blossom and Rabbi Splansky for being an inspiration on this journey. Praying for peace. If you would like to donate and support our community efforts, please click here: https://www.jewishtoronto.com/camp-canada
The Walk with Israel has been an annual Toronto Jewish community event for more than five decades. I’m sure that many of you have participated in the Walk at various times in your lives – perhaps when you were young, perhaps with your own kids or grandkids, perhaps simply when the weather was nice – always showing your proud support for Israel. Some years it’s been easy to be supportive, some years it’s been more difficult. This year, visibly showing your love for our Jewish homeland on Sunday, June 9, couldn’t be more important. This year, having feet on the ground – pun intended – really matters.
We have all witnessed the horrors in Israel at the hands of Hamas and have seen first-hand the rise of antisemitism in communities across the diaspora – sadly, our own Toronto community has not been exempt. By participating in this year’s Walk with Israel, you can not only demonstrate your support for the people of Israel, including the hostages held in Gaza for now more than six months, but you can also show the broader Toronto community that the Jewish people are resilient and cannot be stopped by those who despise Israel or hate Jews.
Here’s another idea: to amplify the impact of this year’s event, rather than simply participating in this year’s Walk with Israel with your own family and Jewish friends, please also invite your non-Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbours to join you. We simply cannot fight hatred alone and visible allyship is critical to our community’s future.
So, whatever your age (and whatever the weather forecast), please sign up at the link below, show up on the day and proudly wave your flags in support of Israel! Of course, Holy Blossom clergy and lay leadership will be walking alongside you – stay tuned for how to meet us on the day of the event.
Michael Davis
Chair, Holy Blossom Temple Advocacy Committee
Learn more & register for the 2024 UJA Walk with Israel here
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Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.