AVI stands with the People of Iran

Yesterday’s historic moment resonates deeply with our people’s ancient story

Yesterday’s historic moment resonates deeply with our people’s ancient story. As events in the Middle East unfold in close proximity to the holiday of Purim, we are reminded that courage, survival and defiance in the face of tyranny are not abstract lessons but lived realities.

As you can see on countless videos across social media, the People of Iran are celebrating right now. All over the world, we see Iranian, American, and Israeli flags, fireworks in the streets of Tehran, and Iranians coming together to rejoice.

The Purim story teaches us the stakes of moral clarity and collective solidarity. Across the world — and right here in Canada — the Iranian people and the people of Israel continue to find unexpected bonds.

In this moment, Israel and the United States are doing what is right. They are offering support to the People of Iran who seek a future free from tyranny, and pushing back against a regime that has for decades oppressed its own people, threatened its neighbours, and backed terrorist regimes such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

This is not about conquest. It is about opening the space for Iranians themselves to shape their destiny.

Yet, whom among us would be surprised if this week, so-called "activists" on campus distort the details of this heroic operation and stand with a genocidal regime that has murdered tens of thousands of its own people in recent weeks?

AVI implores all students of conscience – Jewish, Iranian and beyond – at universities across Canada to stand united to illustrate to these propagandists that we will not be intimidated by their tactics.

To the People of Iran and the People of Israel, where radical activists and dim-witted podcast hosts attempt to profit off dividing us, let us find strength in unity. Let us wave our flags proudly — the Star of David and the Lion and Sun — symbols of peoples with ancient roots and unbreakable spirits.

We are peoples who have endured exile, oppression and every attempt to erase us. And yet, we are still here. We have prevailed before and we will do so again.

Let this moment, coming on the brink of Purim, be more than symbolic. Let it be a time when we stand firmly for moral clarity, freedom, and shared humanity. 

On campus, let us raise our voices not in anger but in truth. Let us show that our peoples stand together. Let us reject radical falsehoods and anti-Israel propaganda.

We will not be conquered. We will persevere. And we will triumph together.