Arab voices for Israel take Calgary and BC by storm
Luai Ahmed, Tamer Masudin, and Fatema Al Harbi engage and empower students at high schools, university campuses, and community events
Our Sharaka delegation of Tamer Masudin and Luai Ahmed speak with students at the University of British Columbia (Oct. 22)
On behalf of all of us at Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), we are thrilled to share the incredible final legs of United We Stand: Voices for Peace in the Middle East, our cross-Canada tour in partnership with Sharaka, featuring three Arab advocates for Israel, human rights, and peace: Tamer Masudin, Luai Ahmed, and Fatema Al Harbi.
After Montreal and Toronto, our delegation headed west to Calgary, Vancouver, and Langley. In just a few days, they reached thousands more students, educators, community members, allies, and viewers. Here’s a look at what they accomplished.
Luai Ahmed, Fatema Al Harbi, and Tamer Masudin address students at Mount Royal University after speaking with anti-Israel protestors outside the classroom (Oct. 20)
Our western leg began in Calgary, where our delegates spoke with high school students in a Holocaust Studies class before heading to Mount Royal University (MRU) to engage university students on campus.
At MRU, Luai came face to face with a group of protestors holding anti-Israel signs. Rather than walk away, he engaged them directly. Despite coming to protest, they listened to him intently, and many seemed to learn from what he had to say. It was a powerful reminder of what honest, face-to-face dialogue can accomplish.
That Tuesday evening, our delegates capped off their Calgary visit with a community event, sharing their stories with allies and community members.
Our delegates address attendees at our Calgary event (Oct. 20)
In British Columbia, our delegation began with a program for professors and faculty at Simon Fraser University, continuing the frank conversations with educators that we started at Concordia and McGill.
From there, our delegates tabled at the University of British Columbia, where they spoke with students, most of them non-Jewish, who stopped to ask why Arabs from the Middle East would stand for Israel.
AVI brings Fatema Al Harbi to meet with journalist and host Negar Mojtahedi on the set of the Eye for Iran podcast in Vancouver (Oct. 22)
One of the biggest moments of the tour came in Vancouver, where Fatema Al Harbi appeared on the Eye for Iran podcast hosted by journalist Negar Mojtahedi. The show is watched weekly by tens of thousands of Canadians and Iranians and Fatema's episode has already reached 7,000 in under 48 hours.
Their message of peace between Israel, the Arab world, and the Iranian people reached an audience far beyond any single room.
Our Sharaka delegation of Alyssa Annis, Tamer Masudin, Luai Ahmed, and Fatema Al Harbi address Congregation Beth Israel in Vancouver (Oct. 21)
Our delegates then spoke with hundreds of high school students at King David High School, answering their questions and sharing their journeys as Arab advocates for Israel.
That evening, more than 250 people packed Beth Israel for our Vancouver panel discussion. The crowd included many of our Iranian allies, and the evening was made even more memorable by two AVI Student Ambassadors who spoke with remarkable courage and conviction.
Our delegation addresses students at King David High School in Vancouver (Oct. 22)
The tour came to a close in Langley with an interfaith evening that brought together Jews, Christians, and allies from across the Fraser Valley. Thanks to AVI’s outreach, many attendees were people who don’t typically come to events like this, and they left with a new understanding of what peace in the Middle East can look like.
To everyone who attended, hosted, volunteered, tuned in, or simply stopped by our table to ask a question: thank you. You are proof that peace begins with dialogue, and that allies stand together.
AVI Student Ambassador Etelle gives a personal and riveting speech to attendees at our Vancouver event (Oct. 21). Click on the photo above to view our photo gallery!
I would also like to thank our incredible partners on this tour. To Sharaka: it was a pleasure and an honour to learn even more about the remarkable impact you make through Holocaust education and teaching about Israel and the Jewish community throughout the Arab world. Bravo. I'm so proud that AVI was the first organization to bring you across Canada, engaging literally thousands of people from coast to coast.
To our partner organizations — Jewish Federation of British Columbia and Hillel BC in BC, Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, Hillel Ontario and CJPAC in Toronto — thank you so much. It was truly a pleasure working with you.
I would also like to thank of our amazing allies who came out to stand in solidarity. Your presence made a deeply meaningful impact.
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