Rise Up Ottawa! Update Information
CAEF is a proud partner with Ottawa Against Antisemitism, End Jew Hatred, and The Lawfare Project, bringing Jewish Ottawa together to address antisemitism, build Jewish pride, and take collective action.
Please view this informative slide show, then purchase your ticket to attend. Meet other concerned parents whose children have experienced antisemitism in the classroom. Hear from teachers, advocacy organizations and guest speakers including Gerard Filitti, Senior Counsel for The Lawfare Project, and Melissa Lantsman, MP.
Jews Supporting Palestinian Arab Nationalism, Supporting Antisemitism
We can assume that many Jews who are in favour of an Islamic state called Palestine, beside the Jewish state of Israel, really believe this will bring peace, really believe the so-called Arab ‘resistance’ is about garnering support for such an Arab state, and that ‘two-states’ is a solution that will bring peaceful co-existence. That there is no evidence for this doesn’t deter the compassionate, humanistic, wishful thinking of those who desire peace and are willing to surrender almost anything to get it. But are they truly aware that it is the sacrificing of Jewish lives that is called for, and that eradicating the Jewish state is the goal of so-called Palestinian Arab partners?
Who are the Arab peace partners among the many Palestinian Arab political organizations? There aren’t any!
The so-called “Progressives” seem willing to stay wilfully blind and believe their own propaganda.
Liberal-minded, Reform Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, addresses those students and professors who profess that peace is but a negotiation away. Here is an excerpt from his article in the Times of Israel, October 3, 2022: “The BDS movement seeks not coexistence with Israel, but Israel’s destruction; not a two-state solution but one Palestinian state. And BDS considers armed struggle against Israel a legitimate means to achieve this end.”
What’s in a Campaign, and What is NOT makes a Difference
The City of Toronto has launched a campaign against antisemitism. It seems to have been launched with no fanfare. While some Jewish advocacy organizations were likely consulted, the campaign is devoid of the major issue that is at the core of today’s antisemitism, namely AntiZionism! The campaign uses fake images of fake newspapers to supposedly make the point that Jews are the most targeted group for hate crimes. This is nothing new, but what they don’t show is that antisemitism is now typically rooted in anti-Israel lies and hatred.
See the Toronto campaign, “Confronting Antisemitism” here.
That antisemitism is old, continuous and always here, isn’t going to address the newest most vicious lies that stoke the flames. We need the campaign to call out the lie of Israel apartheid, the lies about ethnic cleansing, and the lies about killing innocent Arabs. So many lies by big name NGOs, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and radical Islamic entities are ignored. These lies are perpetuated and embellished by anti-Zionist Jewish organizations as well. Groups that partner with Jew haters can’t exactly be called impartial. The website of Independent Jewish Voices carries the mockery of placing Amnesty International’s report on its home page, equating Israel to apartheid South Africa. Ignorance and lies don’t make for a campaign to combat antisemitism.
Civic Elections More Important than Ever
Traditionally, turn outs for municipal elections are lower than for provincial or federal elections, and likely there is even less excitement for school board elections which take place along with the election of city councilors. But these are VERY important elections, more so since the rising tide of antisemitism is now a factor in public schools and must be faced, full frontal, and eliminated.
That city governments have been very slow to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism leaves them short of a tool that should be in common use. That this is counterproductive given both senior levels of government in Canada have adopted IHRA, suggests elected municipal decision-makers are not on side with fighting antisemitism. That we see opponents of IHRA vigorously campaigning at city and school board meetings to obvert, ie to change the meaning and present an opposing view, to prevent the adoption of IHRA, is serious.
While CAEF has requested delegation status at various school board meetings, the larger, more resourced Jewish organizations are absent which suggests that the adoption of IHRA is forgone to fail. The Jewish population is very small in most centers in Canada, but even in those cities with substantial numbers, the support for action to counter the anti-Israel Jew hatred propaganda is limited to non-existent.
Read story by publisher Ron East in TheJ.ca on mayoralty candidates in the Winnipeg election.
Read journalist Barbara Kay’s article in the National Post, which calls for parents to push back against woke ideology in the classroom, knowing it is the portal to antisemitism, while promoting racism and divisiveness in society.
Read Barbara Kay in The Epoch Times, noting that Canada needs action to protect academic freedom, which is already demonstrably at risk and cancelled at various universities.
Readers, in Canada, US and elsewhere—take the time to learn about your civic candidates, turn out and vote. Do not allow CRT supporting, woke candidates to run your cities and educational systems, knowing the ideology they promote is illiberal, anti-democratic and hostile to the Jewish state.
Read more about the threats to Jewish youth in public schools and universities:
Visit our Youtube channel to see our many and varied webinars which focus on antisemitism, Justice for Jews, Israel’s legal rights, and more.
Advocacy and Action
Update to CAEF petition to the House of Commons
CAEF endorsed the petition filed by our board member, Michael Teper, asking for a full public inquiry into the inappropriate funding of the Canadian Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), founded and operated by a known antisemitic anti-racist trainer, Laith Marouf. Thanks to hundreds of signatories to the petition it has now been presented in the House by Melissa Lantsman, MP. Below is the recent update from the Clerk of Petitions.
House of Commons Petitions
“This is to inform you that petition e-4115 initiated by R. Michael Teper on the petitions website of the House of Commons, which you have supported, has been presented in the House. A government response to the petition must be provided within 45 calendar days. You will be informed once a government response has been tabled in the House.”
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage
View the committee proceedings which took place Friday, October 7th, in which the committee reviewed the funding of CMAC, Marouf’s organization. The Committee did not come to any conclusion. There was a motion to call the Minister of Canadian Heritage to appear but time ran out before the vote.
Read this article by Michael Geist on this committee’s disappointing meeting that concluded nothing. It appears that the CRTC may still be funding CMAC.
Freedom of Information Requests Filed
Michael Teper, CAEF Board member, filed an FOI with the Department of Heritage, requesting all communication related to the funding of the Community Media Advocacy Center, ie Marouf’s organization. To date, no information has been received.
Michael Teper has filed an FOI with the Ottawa-Carlton District School Board in regards to its decision to cancel the Hon. Irwin Cotler, Canada’s Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. Several responses and submissions have taken place, but to date the information has not been released.
Michael Teper has not given up on his fight to get hold of the background documents to the failed attempt to censure Toronto School Board Trustee Alexandra Lulka for warning her constituents about two mailouts sent in May 2021 by TDSB staffer Javier Davila that contained links to antisemitic and pro-terrrorist websites.