Holy Days and Relationships, Unholy Developments | CAEF Bulletin, Mar 27, 2026
- CAEF
- Mar 27
- 10 min read
Toronto Councillor James Paternak and Israeli Consul General Idit Shamir delivered strong Passover messages to attendees at City Hall pre-Passover celebration, March 26, 2026.
Featured Stories
Christian Cleric Addresses Antisemitism
“As antisemitism surges across Western discourse, a senior American Catholic leader is drawing a clear line: hostility toward Jews is not merely immoral, it is a betrayal of the Church’s own teachings. In a message released ahead of Easter, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample invoked a foundational Vatican document to call Catholics back to a theological position that rejects centuries of anti-Jewish accusation and violence.”
Read story by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz in Israel365News on March 26, 2026 about the call to action by Archbishop Sample.
Watch video message to the Catholics of America.
Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast Comes to Canada
Hosted annually in different countries, March 24-25 was the first time the JPB came to Ottawa, as reported in Israel365News, an organization which celebrates and expands Jewish-Christian relations worldwide. Here is an excerpt from a report by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz on March 26, 2026.
“With antisemitism surging across Canadian campuses and public squares, and with Canada-Israel relations strained in the post-October 7 political landscape, the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast Ottawa arrived as a much-needed faith-based counter-offensive”
“The gathering evoked the verse in Psalms: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you be at peace.” (Psalms 122:6) The Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast took that command literally and made it global.
The JPB was founded and is chaired by former Knesset Member Robert Ilatov and co-chaired by former U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.”
Watch video posted by Melodie Greyeyes at JPB in Ottawa.
Jewish-Christian Relations Expand at Nashville Conference
CAEF’s Vice President, Avi Attali, attended the first Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress in February and enthusiastically reports back:
“The first Judeo Christian Zionist Congress in Nashville was more than an event—it felt like a line in the sand. Christian, Israeli, and Jewish leaders came together to confront what many described as a rapidly escalating civilizational struggle, and the urgency in the room was unmistakable.
I was deeply honored to be the only Jewish Canadian invited to take part.
Sharing these photos matters because they capture the people behind this movement—leaders and allies who refuse to stay silent as antisemitism rises and the foundations of our shared Judeo‑Christian values are challenged.
Meeting these individuals reminded me that this fight is personal. It’s about relationships, courage, and choosing to stand firm when it would be easier to look away. I left Nashville with a renewed sense of purpose—and a community ready to act.”
Legal Update
1. Sentencing of Matthew Albert ALTHORPE for terrorism related offences targeting Jewish Canadians
2. Ontario Minister of Education Paul Calandra Lays Down the Law on Teacher Social Media Behavior and Graduation Exercise Decorum. Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation Reacts. CAEF Weighs In.
JEWISH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WELCOME SENTENCING IN TERRORISM CASE
Toronto, ON – March 27, 2026 – Today, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice handed down a sentence of 20 years in the case of Matthew Althorpe, who pleaded guilty in October to three terrorism-related charges. In response, five Jewish organizations that provided community impact statements – Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA), B’nai Brith Canada, the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center – issued the following joint statement:
“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful message: those who spread hate, inflict violence, and terrorize communities will be held fully accountable under the law. This is especially critical in the wake of recent shootings at three Toronto-area synagogues and last week’s warning by the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre about the ‘realistic possibility’ of a violent extremist attack against the Jewish community, which reminds us that hate-motivated violence is a persistent and dangerous reality in Canada.”
“The threat posed by Mr. Althorpe was not only to the Jewish community. His hatred and violent extremism targeted all those who did not align with his grotesque ideology. His actions not only fueled neo-Nazi groups threatening Canadians, they were linked to at least six international terror attacks, including a shooting targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Slovakia and mass stabbing at a mosque in Türkiye.
“The severity of these threats must be a call to action for governments to do more to protect Canadians. This should include filling gaps in Canada’s anti-terror laws, addressing the sources of hate and radicalization, prioritizing enforcement to disrupt and dismantle terror networks, and boosting support for community security.”
Advocacy and Action
Help Us Get 5000+ signatures on petition e-7069. We’re almost there.
Michael Teper, CAEF’s President filed a petition to be brought to the House of Commons for a vote by Roman Baber MP, calling for a vote to stop the antisemitic petition e-6783 which discriminates against Israelis and Jews who have served in the IDF or other security services of Israel.
If you have not yet signed, sign now. Post and pass this to everyone you know.
CAEF publishes examples of individual advocacy expressed in letters to editors, educators, politicians, media or others to demand attention to issues of antisemitism or other injustices.
Write your own letter or use these as templates. Everyone has a voice. Silence is not conducive to justice.
Letter from CAEF to Duke University about the SJP chapter’s posts portraying Israel and America as dogs, March 26, 2026.
Read Letter from Richard Sherman to the NY Daily News in response to Steven Davies' "Zinophobic rant", March 25, 2026.
Read Letter from Larry Shapiro, Calgary to the Joseph Wales Studio, Margate, England, in response to their show, Let it Bring Hope. Let it be a Tale, drawings by Matthew Collings that clearly attempt to implicate in Israel and Jews in a genocide, while it was Hamas with support of the Gazan population that perpetrated genocide against Israel, following in the footsteps and ideology of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, March 24, 2026.
CAEF Thanks and acknowledges Mayor of Vaughan for Asking the Prime Minister, Mark Carney to meet with Ontario Jews affected by blatant antisemitic attacks, March 22, 2026.
HonestReporting Canada uncovers legal organization, funded by Canada, that offers to represent Toronto Al-Quds day protesters if needed.
A taxpayer-funded legal organization offered free services to attendees of Toronto’s Al-Quds Day demonstration, a protest founded by Iran’s regime that calls for Israel’s destruction.
The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) received roughly $700,000 in federal funding in 2025, and was co-founded by Faisal Mirza, now an Ontario Superior Court judge who previously represented a charity banned as a terrorist entity. HonestReporting Canada reminds the news media that it has a responsibility to tell Canadians where their tax dollars are going.
U of Toronto Antisemitism Report Presented to Governing Council
David Jacobs, member of University of Toronto’s Governing Council, delivered this speech at the Council meeting on March 26th and posted it on X:
This is the speech that I delivered at today's University of Toronto Governing Council meeting. "The Antisemitism Action Plan for the University of Toronto was written in support of the Jewish community who has called for a concrete response to the explosion of antisemitism at the University of Toronto since October 7th 2023, The document has been endorsed by every major Jewish Association including the UJA, CIJA, B'nai Brith, Stand With Us, DARA, ALCCA, CWAA, CAEF, AJP.
The Honourable Harry LaForme's letter of support for the Antisemitism Action Plan is far more eloquent than anything I could do say. I'd like to read you an excerpt: "I am Anishinaabe and a proud member of the Mississaugas of the Credit
First Nation. The University of Toronto is located on the treaty territory of my First Nation. My name is Harry LaForme. I am a former Judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal and a practising lawyer. I am an Officer of the Order of Canada and have been awarded the designation of Indigenous Peoples Counsel. Concerned about the antisemitic hate taking place on your campus Chief and Council of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation wrote the President of the University of Toronto on June 26, 2024. Page upon page of the Antisemitism Action Plan lists examples of hatred and bigotry targeting Jewish, Israeli and Zionist faculty, students, staff and guests, members of your university community that took place before and after the June 26th letter. The incidents are disturbing and the fact that they have continued for years disappointing. However, I hope the Action Plan signals a real commitment to change." The Plan is the culmination of the work of many of the leading universities who have been wrestling with the explosion of antisemitism on their campuses. Since the report was written there have been multiple additional reported acts of antisemitism which I will not enumerate due to time constraints. Suffice it to say that they would make your hair stand on end.
Culture takes shape over years,and it is troubling to say that Antisemitism has become part of the culture at the University of Toronto. We have seen a shift in terminology where the word Jew has been replaced by Zionist, but in a world where 95% of Jews are Zionists, it is a distinction without a difference. We can no longer take half measures or overly cautious steps in trying to remedy the hate that is growing on our campuses. We must meet it head on with a firm NO. I do hope that the administration will make good use of the document, The Jewish Community deserves and demands nothing less."
Recommended Viewing
Watch Gad Saad, explain the concept of Suicidal Empathy, and the Parasitic Mind on YouTube, March 15, 2026.
Watch interview of Rowan Osman with Amir Tsarfati, for Behold Israel, on the true history of Israel, not the lies taught to Osman as a child in Lebanon.
Watch an historic story, “May 14th, 1948. David Ben-Gurion declares the State of Israel. Eleven minutes later, Harry Truman recognizes it. The fastest diplomatic recognition in American history.” This from WWII Archives.
Watch Clarion Project video, Dispelling The Extremist Narrative—Former Extremists Talk.
Emmanuelle Chriqui on Israel and Antisemitism
Interviewed by Lana Melman, story prepared for CAEF.
“I stand with Israel when she defends herself against Hamas, a terrorist organization whose mission it is to seek the destruction of the Jewish state. I stand with Israel today and always.” – Canadian American actress, Emmanuelle Chriqui, October 11, 2023.
Emmanuelle Chriqui logged on to our video interview, fighting a head cold, barefaced and beautiful. While she is widely recognized for her breakout performance alongside Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan and her portrayal of the spirited, independent Sloan on Entourage, she has maintained a steady career in the industry ever since.
Born in Canada to French Moroccan Jewish parents, Chriqui was raised in a traditional Sephardic home shaped by ritual and rhythm. Shabbat was observed without exception, kosher laws were strictly followed, and holidays were all-encompassing experiences. Yet, as a young girl attending synagogue services conducted entirely in Hebrew, she felt disconnected rather than inspired. (Watch the video on Growing Up Jewish)
In adolescence, she began to distance herself from formal religious practice. While she remained proud of her heritage, spirituality took a different form. She explored meditation, Eastern philosophies, and healing practices, building a personal belief system that felt more expansive and self-directed.
The loss of her parents marked a turning point. Traditions she once resisted became meaningful again, serving as a bridge back to family and continuity. Shabbat dinners, candle-lighting, and communal gatherings in Los Angeles gradually returned to her life.
The speed and intensity of global reactions following the October 7 attacks shook her deeply. The surge in antisemitic rhetoric she witnessed online and in public spaces, “rocked me to my core and kept me up at night,” she told me. (Watch the video The Big Lie)
Recommended Reading
Read Hillel Fuld’s Facebook Post, March 20, 2026 documenting the rejectionism of the Arabs who were offered a state many times, even before they decided to be called Palestinians and many times since.
Read Winfield Myers for Middle East Forum, article about the Church of the Latter-Day Saints funding of terrorist organizations, March 25, 2026.
Read article by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz in Israel365News about UK poll that showed 1 in 5 UK students won’t share accommodation with a Jew, March.
Read Jules Gomes, article in Focus on Western Islamism, March 25, 2026 on Israeli Inquiry into Islamist NGOs financing jihad in Europe.
Read Juan Melamed in Times of Israel about the 50th anniversary of the Argentinian dirty war and the disproportionate number of disappeared Jews, March 26, 2026.
Read Jackie Hajdenberg in the Times of Israel about potential for Karin Prien, a Jewish member of German parliament to become the President, March 26, 2026.
Read article by Mathilda Heller the Jerusalem Post about the British art exhibit that portrays Israelis as evil, baby killers, denies the rapes of Oct 7 and more, but is deemed not illegal, though offensive. Are the laws equally applied to antisemitism as to other forms of racism? March 23, 2026.
Read Joanne Cohen in the Times of Israel, March 24, 2026 on why Israel reports on antisemitism in Canada and the recent, small step that the Toronto Police have taken to curtain anti-Israel protesters from marching down streets in Jewish neighborhoods.
Read and watch Rabbi Amiel Hirsch speak about meeting Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the antizionist Mayor of NYC who supports the entire erasure of Israel.
Read Dr. Sheree Trotter, in Algemeiner on Indigenous Zionism.
Read Steve Flatow in the Blogs of the Jewish Standard, March 19, 2026 on why Israel is still one of the happiest places on earth.
Like all political and theocratic ideas that cannot withstand rational analysis, Palestinianism demands absolute obedience.
Read Pat Johnson’s Substack, Beaten with a Schtick March 19, 2026.
Read Paul Finlayson’s Substack, Freedom to Offend, March on the meaning of antizionism, the façade for Jew hatred.
Read letter from Bishop Ceirion H Dewar to His Majesty King Charles III about protecting Western civilization, March 18, 2026.
Read article by Liam Newbigging in The Edmonton Journal, about the sentencing of man who uttered death threats to Jews, March 26, 2026.
Read article by Jesse Brown in The Atlantic, on Canada’s tolerance for antisemitism, March 24, 2026.
Community Events
Join online on March 29, 10 am PST | 1 pm EST.
We celebrate Nowruz 2585
&
honour the Heroes of Freedom
For information about other community events, in person and on zoom, visit the CAEF Event page.
Comments