Ethiopian and Jewish students unite at York U
PLUS: The CJN profiles new AVI High School Ambassador, AVI Student Ambassadors join The Power of Small Conversations event, and more!
Jewish and Ethiopian students at York University came together for our 'From Ethiopia to Jerusalem' dinner last week near campus
On behalf of all of us at Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), it’s been a busy and inspiring few weeks, and we have a lot to share.
Last week, we launched our United We Stand: Voices for Peace tour with Sharaka, bringing three incredible Arab advocates for Israel to communities across Canada. The tour is still underway and we are hosting more than 30 programs in five cities, visiting nine university campuses, as well as high schools, churches, and synagogues from coast to coast. We’ll be sharing much more about the tour in a separate email.
But even with a cross-country tour underway, our day-to-day work hasn’t slowed down for a moment.
At York University, our AVI Student Ambassadors organized a From Ethiopia to Jerusalem dinner, bringing together Jewish and Ethiopian students to talk about how we can stand together in the face of anti-Jewish hatred and hostility on campus.
This marks our second annual program connecting Jewish and Ethiopian students at York, and we were so proud to see these students build real friendships and a shared commitment to confronting hate together.
Click the above to apply and become an AVI Common Ground Ambassador in Israel this Winter!
Are you a Canadian college/university student? Are you passionate about advocacy, building bridges, and using your voice to combat hatred? Then we've got your Winter break plans sorted!
Common Ground Winter 2026 applications are now open!
This Winter break, embark on a training program in Israel where you will be introduced to Israel's robust diversity and hear from a diverse group of Israelis, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim alike, and many others who are fighting for peace and coexistence.
Upon returning to campus after taking part in our Common Ground Ambassadorship training program, you will take the knowledge you've gleaned from the places we've visited and our educational workshops to build bridges on your campus and strengthen the movement against anti-Jewish hatred.
The trip runs December 27th, 2026 – January 4th, 2027 and is open to Canadian college/university students of all backgrounds!
To jumpstart your Winter break plans, please click here.
Click the above graphic to read the full piece in the Canadian Jewish News
Our incoming Common Roots High School Ambassador in Nova Scotia Michal was featured in a Canadian Jewish News piece highlighting her participation in the 2026 Miss Teenage Canada competition.
Michal decided to use the pageant as an opportunity to address the anti-Jewish hatred that has been rising across the country. The Nova Scotia high school student, who has Russian Jewish roots, herself experienced being bullied for being Jewish.
“I didn’t understand that they could hate the Jewish people so much. Some people don’t exactly know what they’re saying, they could just be following another group. And as well, we were all children, so I just didn’t understand why they were doing this to me, or to anyone at all,” said Michal.
“I want to use my platform to make sure no one else has to struggle or go through that alone.”
To read Chai Achiever: Miss Teenage Nova Scotia uses pageant platform to address antisemitism in the Canadian Jewish News, please click here.
(Left to right): AVI's Director of Campus Affairs Idaliah, and AVI Student Ambassadors Bisrat and Avery
Two of our AVI Student Ambassadors – York University student Bisrat and McMaster University student Avery – participated in a powerful panel discussion with leading activists about the impact of antisemitism and hate in Canada, and how we can make our country a better and safer place for all.
Thank you to the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (NCJWC) for organizing The Power of Small Conversations Launch, and giving our students a platform to share their experiences and wisdom as Canadian students combating hatred. Bisrat and Avery spoke so beautifully and we are so proud of them!
Click the above flyer to buy tickets and/or become a sponsor
AVI is among the incredible Canadian organizations partnering with the Canadian Antisemitism Education Fund (CAEF) on an evening honouring Brian Crowley, Founder and Managing Director of the Macdonald Laurier Institute, Canada’s leading public policy think-tank, with the Advocate Award of Excellence.
The annual CAEF Advocate Award of Excellence honours an outstanding Canadian who has contributed to combatting antisemitism. It has previously been presented to Dr. Jacque Gauthier, leading international legal scholar, Brooke Goldstein, founder of the Lawfare Project and the End Jew Hatred Movement, Barbara Kay, journalist extraordinaire, Rob Roberts, Editor-in-Chief of the National Post, and Donna Holbrook, National Executive Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.
Brian Crowley like all of these honorees, has stood out as a Canadian making an impact, standing tall for Israel and the Jewish people, pressing truth and facts on the public in an often-hostile antisemitic environment, courageously challenging the lies and bigotry.
For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
Click the above to read all about Jewish allyship, courtesy of AVI Student Ambassador Jacqueline
We are very proud of AVI Student Ambassador Etelle at the University of British Columbia for taking part in the Run to Remember, organized by Hillel BC on campus.
A commemoration ceremony was given before the run and she was off, running to remember those who were lost and honour their memory through every step.
To read Etelle's powerful statement regarding her experience, please click here.
Click the above to read all about Jewish allyship, courtesy of AVI Student Ambassador Jacqueline
Our AVI Student Ambassador Jacqueline, a student at Concordia University, recently put together a handy guide to Jewish allyship on her own educational Jewish advocacy Instagram page, @judaismwithjacqueline.
To check out her handy guide, please click here.
To follow Jacqueline's page, please click here.
Click the above to learn all about our October 7th initiatives from coast to coast
In case you missed our recent email outlining all of our campus and community initiatives across Canada to commemorate three years since October 7th, 2023, we put together a handy post to get you all caught up.
We are so proud of our students and community members, who did so much to pay homage to the victims of October 7th, including a flag replanting initiative at Toronto's Word of Faith Christian Centre after an arsonist burned the 600 flags they planted in an attempt to intimidate this pastor and his congregation. The prompt response to this hateful act was to double the amount originally planted.
To see everything we did to commemorate three years since October 7th, please click here.
Click the above flyer to learn more and get tickets!
This week's Ambassador Spotlight is Nadav, one of our amazing Common Ground Ambassadors completing his Business HBA & Political Science BA at Western University!
“I joined Common Ground Italy because I wanted to understand Jewish identity as something older than just stories I grew up with.
Travelling through Venice, Florence, and Rome, I learned that Italian Jews, the Italkim, aren't simply Ashkenazi or Sephardic – they're a distinct community tracing back to Roman-era Judea, predating that whole split by over a thousand years. Standing in synagogues that have held services since antiquity, it was clear this ancestry led in a direct line back to Israel.”
To read Nadav's full statement, please click here.
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