AVI helps bring the shuk to Toronto!
- Allied Voices for Israel (AVI)
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
PLUS: AVI Student Ambassador highlights 7 Jewish Nobel Prize winners, AVI Students speak at Confronting Antisemitism in Canada Conference & more!
With Summer heating up, what better way to celebrate the warm weather than to bring the Israeli shuk experience to Toronto?
Our Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) Student Ambassadors had a blast tabling at Emet Talks and Bevakasha Toronto's outdoor Community Shuk, presented by the Prosserman JCC and UJA Federation.
From curated food vendors, jewellery stands, and farmers market finds, to learning about other incredible organizations and the people who support them, it was a fun day for the whole family! Our AVI Ambassadors and staff connected with students and community members over AVI's mission and upcoming programs.
To see more photos and videos from the event, please click here.
Our Common Ground Ambassador Tiauna Lodewyk put together an incredible post going over Seven Jewish Nobel Prize Winners That Changed the World.
“As a Student Ambassador with Allied Voices for Israel and a representative of The Friends of Israel Canada, I am blessed to be a Christian ally of the Jewish people. Though Jews make up just 0.2% of the world’s population, they’ve earned over 20% of all Nobel Prizes,” writes Tiauna.
“Some of the most incredible innovations that we enjoy today have been developed by the Jewish people. Most of all, as a Christian, my Messiah Jesus Christ is Jewish, and to me that is the greatest realization of G-d’s promised blessing through the Jewish people to the world.”
To view the full post, please click here.
AVI Student Ambassadors Pe'er Krut and Melanie Segev, students at the University of Toronto and McGill University, respectively, participated in a panel discussion on the rise in anti-Jewish hatred on Canadian campuses post-October 7th.
The session was part of the Confronting Antisemitism in Canada Conference, presented in partnership with the Clarity Coalition, the Niagara Military Museum, and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF).
Our amazing students spoke on whether they felt targeted for being Jewish or Zionist at their respective campuses.
Stay tuned for more soundbites from the conference!
To watch Pe'er and Melanie discuss what it has been like as a Jewish student on campus the past two years, please click here.
We recently spotlighted an ally who was relatively unknown until his grandson published a book about his incredible efforts during the Holocaust.
Meet Kundanlal – a machine tool manufacturer from Ludhiana, India who chose to help complete strangers in their most dire hour of need.
To learn about this forgotten figure who changed the fate of Jewish families in Nazi-occupied Austria, please click here.
As part of our #AllySpotlight series, we’re highlighting some of our dear friends and allies – from Calgary, Alberta to Hebei, China, and Ukraine.
At AVI, we are deeply grateful for every ally who stands with the Jewish people and Israel. It’s not just about politicians or public figures. You don’t need to be famous to make a difference. Being an ally starts with speaking up, supporting your friends, and standing for what is right.
Thank you to all our allies, near and far, for showing that solidarity matters.
To listen to what our allies have to say about why they stand with Israel, please click here.
In AVI allyship news, this week hundreds of Christians in Munich, Germany formed a human chain around a synagogue to protect it from an Islamist demonstration that aimed to intimidate the local Jewish community.
The rally, organized by the group Palestine Speaks, was given permission to travel right past the city’s main synagogue, posing a potential threat to the Jewish community. The protesters shouted “Death to the IDF” and waved Palestinian flags, according to footage from the rally.
According to the Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Antisemitism, “Hamas terror was glorified as ‘Palestinian resistance,’ and German, Israeli, and French hostages held by the Islamist terror group were denounced as ‘war criminals.’”
We are so grateful to our incredible Christian allies who stood up to hatred and discrimination.
To watch this powerful and uplifting display of solidarity, please click here.
Do you want to win 1 of 3 FREE copies of Volume 2 of the new Proof of Life Anthology, Never Again: Allies Speak Out Against Antisemitism?
This powerful collection of poetry and prose focuses on the aftermath of October 7th, standing up against hate and anti-Jewish hatred in today's world.
To enter:
1. Follow us
2. Like, share and/or save this post
3. Tag an ally, a student, or someone you think needs to read this book in the comments. More comments = more entries
Please note: Contestants must be 18 or older and reside in Canada. The 3 winners will be announced at the end of the summer.
We are only giving away three copies of the Proof of Life Anthology Vol. 2 for FREE, but to pre-order your copy, please click here.
To view this post and enter this giveaway, please click here.
Melodie Greyeyes, from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and National Director of CMJ Ministry, shares a powerful message of allyship and solidarity.
“We want the people of Canada, the Jewish people of Canada, to know that there are many who are standing with you,” says Melodie.
As we post the final video in our Indigenous Heritage Month series, we want to express our deep gratitude to all the Indigenous leaders and allies who continue to stand with the Jewish people and Israel. Your voices remind us that true allyship crosses cultures, histories, and communities. Thank you for standing with us.
This video is part of our Indigenous video series, in partnership with CAEF and Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem.
To watch the full reel, please click here.
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