10 ways AVI made an impact in 2025

A look at our journey over the past 12 months to unite students of all backgrounds against anti-Jewish hatred!

York U students join AVI for our Jewish x Ethiopian allyship dinner (March 2025)

The end of 2025 has us reflecting and reminiscing on the incredible year we had working with our Student Ambassadors here at Allied Voices for Israel (AVI).  

From coalition-building on campus, launching a podcast, our first annual student award ceremony, tripling our social media following, and everything in between, we thank you for joining us along this wild and rewarding journey to unite students of all backgrounds against anti-Jewish hatred.

Keep reading to count down 10 ways we've made an impact in 2025. 

AVI was proud to meet with a delegation of Indigenous leaders in Toronto, in partnership with CAEF and the Indigenous Embassy of Jerusalem (June 2025)

1. We built coalitions with Indigenous leaders.

• Worked with Indigenous leaders across Canada to call out anti-Jewish hatred with powerful results! 

• We distributed our resources on understanding Jewish indigeneity to Israel at the Nations to First Nations Conference in Manitoba attended by hundreds of First Nations leaders.

• We worked with over a dozen leaders to promote Jewish-First Nations coalition-building, including on social media.

Jewish x Christian unity socials in Calgary (left) and Vancouver (right) in November

2) We created Jewish x Christian unity events with students in Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver

• Hosted a Jewish x Christian Unity night in Calgary with Passages and Students Supporting Israel (SSI) Calgary.

• Organized a Jewish x Christian Unity night with UBC students in Vancouver with Friends of Israel, BC Jewish Student Association, and Israel on Campus.

  
  

AVI students at the Nova Exhibit in Toronto (May 2025)

• Organized an evening with International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to visit the Nova Exhibit in Toronto – alongside other initiatives that brought together Jewish and Christian students across the Greater Toronto Area.

  
  

This year we hosted multiple allyship initiatives with Ethiopian (top photo) and Persian (bottom) students at York University (December 2025)

3) We brought together Jewish, Ethiopian, and Iranian students through multiple allyship initiatives at York University

• We hosted an allyship event at Arada Restaurant with members of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at York and members of the York Ethiopian Student Association. 

• We organized an allyship event at Tehranto Restaurant with our Persian allies and Student Ambassadors from AVI and SSI York.

  
  

Holocaust Survivor Andrew Fuchs at Concordia in November (left); Allyship Advisor Abhinav and AVI Student Lotan at U of T in October (right)

4) We hosted “Ask Me Anything” tablings with Jewish and Hindu students at the University of Toronto, and with a Holocaust survivor at Concordia University

• We brought Holocaust Survivor Andrew Fuchs to an “Ask Me Anything” at Concordia University, organized in partnership with StartUp Nation.

• AVI’s Allyship Advisor Abhinav and Common Ground Ambassador Lotan talked to students at U of T about the beautiful connection between Hindus and Jews.

  
  

Our 2025-26 Common Roots Ambassadors (December 2025)

5) We increased participation in our Common Roots high school program by 35%

• We have 29 students enrolled in our Common Roots program for the year 2025-26, as opposed to 22 in last year’s cohort, with students joining us from Calgary, Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, and beyond!

  
  

Click the above graphic to listen to the full episode

6) We launched a new podcast featuring Muslim, Hindu, and Indigenous voices

•  Episode 10 of Common Voices was a special edition episode featuring a panel of AVI student allies combating antisemitism at four campuses across Canada – including UBC, Western, UOttawa, and Mount Royal University.

  
  

  To listen to Common Voices Episode 10: Why our Student Allies Stand with Jewish Students, please click here.

  
  

Our presence at Catholic schools in the GTA was definitely a highlight of 2025, thanks to AVI's Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum

7) We led workshops in Catholic schools and one public school across Ontario and BC

•  This year, AVI led educational workshops on understanding Israel and combating antisemitism in 13 Catholic schools and one public school across Ontario and BC throughout the year.

  
  

We collaborated with so many wonderful Advocates and Speakers in 2025!

8) We hosted major advocate and speaker events in Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto 

• Rawan Osman (top left photo) - Discussed the Iran conflict with AVI's Founder Daniel Koren at “Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the World's Oldest Hatred” at events in Montreal (February 2025) and Vancouver. (June 2025)

• Justice Harry LaForme (top right photo) - AVI was a proud partner group on “An Anishinaabe Zionist’s Perspective on Israel and Indigeneity” in Montreal. (November 2025)

• Ben M. Freeman (bottom left photo) - AVI was a proud partner org on “An Evening with Ben Freeman, Jewish Indigeneity: Resilience, Identity, and Combatting Antisemitism” in Edmonton, in partnership with Jewish Federation Edmonton, Hillel Edmonton, the Wirth Institute at the University of Alberta, and CMJ Canada. (March 2025)

• “Allies Speak Out” Book Launch with Editor Sharon Zohar (bottom right photo) - Was proud to launch “Never Again: Allies Speak Out Against Antisemitism” – a collection of powerful voices and allyship in the face of rising antisemitism in Canada, featuring several AVI students and stakeholders. (Sept. 2025)

  
  

Our Common Ground Summer cohort (top photo); our Common Ground Winter cohort, who are currently exploring Israel (bottom photo)

9) We empowered two cohorts of university students through educational programs abroad to serve as AVI Ambassadors at 19 campuses across Canada

•  Learned about Jewish indigeneity to Israel by exploring sites such as the Arch of Titus, Hadrian's Temple, and other locales in Rome (top photo).

•  Met with journalists, human rights experts, and politicians and visited strategic locations throughout Israel on our Common Ground educational mission (bottom photo).

  
  

Michael Mostyn Award Recipient Lotan poses with the Mostyn Family at our first annual Herzl Awards in December

10) We distributed awards to two dozen AVI student leaders at the First Annual Herzl Awards

• Many incredible honours were given out, including the Michael Mostyn Award – named for Michael Mostyn z"l, the CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, who passed away earlier this year.

• On behalf of our AVI Board of Directors, Student Ambassadors, and Staff, we are wishing everyone a joyous, successful, and meaningful 2026, as we eagerly look ahead and keep dreaming!