May 4, 2022
Dr. Derek Haime
Chief Executive Officer and Registrar Ontario College of Teachers
101 Bloor Street West Toronto, ON, M5S 0A1
Sent via email
Dear Dr. Haime,
We are writing to express our support for the Ontario College of Teachers to establish a Professional Advisory on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial/Distortion, as recommended by the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation. This recommendation is also in line with the recent UN resolution condemning denial and distortion of the Holocaust. According to Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes against the Jewish population continue to increase and remain one of the most common types of hate crimes reported. In addition, another recent study indicated that almost one-third of students “don't know what to think about the Holocaust, think the number of Jews who died has been exaggerated, or question whether the Holocaust even happened.” Sadly, despite the work we continue to do to create safe, inclusive and respectful learning and working environments, our schools are not exempt from these trends. We continue to see incidents of antisemitism occurring in schools. Holocaust denial/distortion and incidents of antisemitism are deeply harmful and have no place in our schools or society. As a school board, we remain firmly committed to addressing incidents of hate and discrimination in our schools, and to creating environments where our students know their identities are valued, respected andcelebrated. As the governing body for the teaching profession in the province, the Ontario College of Teachers plays an important role in identifying the professional and ethical standards for the profession. We support the work the College has done through the Professional Advisory on Anti-Black Racism, and urge you to continue your efforts to address hate through the creation of a Professional Advisory on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial/Distortion. We all have a role to play in building an education system that enables all of our students to feel safe and valued and to be successful.
Sincerely,
Allan Tam
Board Chair, York Region District School Board
cc/ Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF) United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto (UJA) Network of Educators Supporting Jewish Learners (NESJL) Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
B'nai Brith Canada
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC)