G'mar Chatimah Tovah from all of us at AVI
PLUS: AVI Student Ambassador reflects on Israel trip with Christian peers, students condemn antisemitism at Laurier-Waterloo, and more
Click the above still to learn more about Concordia University student Anastasia's reflections on Christian-Jewish bridge-building in Israel
On behalf of all of us at Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), we wish you a G'mar Chatimah Tovah and a meaningful Yom Kippur.
This is a day for honest reflection — but also for remembering our strength. The Jewish people are one of the oldest continuous families in human history. We have faced exile, persecution, and attempts at our erasure, and we are still here, still gathering, still building. That endurance is not an accident. It is a tradition, carried forward generation after generation, and it lives in us today.
Whatever obstacles this year has brought — and this has been a hard year for our community — we do not face them as individuals starting from nothing. We face them as a people who have overcome before, carrying thousands of years of resilience, memory, and faith. Let it remind you that we are equipped, as we have always been, to meet what comes next.
May you be sealed for a good year, and may you have an easy and meaningful fast.
G'mar Chatimah Tovah.
Click the above still to learn more about Concordia University student Anastasia's reflections on Christian-Jewish bridge-building in Israel
Our newest AVI Student Ambassadors are still reflecting on our recent Israel trip in partnership with Montreal's Israeli Consulate. The trip consisted of many Jewish and Christian delegates who explored strategic locations and learned about Israel's diversity and rich, indigenous history.
One of these students – Concordia University's Anastasia, a fearless leader on campus through her Startup Nation club – created a beautiful video reflecting on three things she learned as a Jewish student joining a delegation to Israel that included both Jewish and Christian students.
To summarize, Anastasia's three takeaways are:
1. Nothing beats seeing Israel for yourself
2. Jews and Christians need to support one another
3. Real solidarity starts with relationships
To hear Anastasia dig deeper into these three takeaways, please click here.
Read AVI Student Ambassador and Laurier student Jonah's statement
Laurier-Waterloo student and AVI Student Ambassador Jonah is voicing his concern over a recent antisemitic incident on campus, when Mezuzahs on Jewish students’ residence doors were smashed and torn down over Rosh Hashanah.
“I think moments like this make it even more important that we do not shy away from expressing who we are,” writes Jonah.
“The Laurier-Waterloo Jewish community is the most tight knit community Ontario and I believe that’s what we should focus on.”
AVI condemns this act of antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. Hatred of any kind should not be tolerated, excused, or condoned. We call on Laurier-Waterloo's administration to hold the perpetrators to account swiftly and transparently.
To read Jonah's full statement, please click here.
Click the above graphic to add your name to our letter and stand with Jewish students in this new school year
Jewish students and their allies have once again returned to campus amid rising hostility and antisemitism.
That’s why Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), Hillel Ontario, and StandWithUs Canada are calling on Ontario’s university presidents to act. We give them five calls to action
1. Enforce the policies you already have
2. Extend that enforcement to online conduct
3. Ensure investigations are transparent and timely
4. Prevent academic freedom from being used to shield misconduct
5. Use Canada’s definition of antisemitism, IHRA
We have created an open letter calling on Ontario's university presidents to protect Jewish students this year.
To put your name on the letter, please click here.
Click the above to read AVI Student Ambassador Jacqueline's experience on our most recent Common Ground Italy trip
A new school year means it's time to reboot our #AmbassadorSpotlight series. We are kicking things off with Common Ground Ambassador and Concordia University student Jacqueline.
“I joined Common Ground because I was drawn to its focus on meaningful allyship, open dialogue, and learning through shared experience. Travelling through Italy added an important historical dimension to that experience, particularly as we explored Jewish life in Venice, Florence, and Rome,” says Jacqueline.
“One of the things that surprised me most was learning that the first place known as a ‘ghetto’ was established in Venice, where Jews were confined to a designated area beginning in the sixteenth century. Visiting the synagogues and Jewish quarters in person gave me a much deeper appreciation for the long and complex history of Jewish life in Italy.”
To read more about Jacqueline's highlights from our recent Common Ground Italy trip, please click here.
Click the above to learn about our recent AVI Student and Alumni reunions in Montreal and Toronto!
Once you become an Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) Student Ambassador, you're forever a member of the AVI family.
Our AVI staff in Montreal and Toronto recently hosted two reunion dinners for AVI Student Ambassadors and Alumni to kick off a new school year.
Director of Québec & Atlantic Canada Noa Peretz Benchaya and Québec Campus Advisor Melanie Segev hosted a reunion dinner of Common Ground Ambassadors and alumni in Montreal where students from four AVI cohorts joined us.
In Toronto, our staff hosted an intimate, end-of-summer BBQ for our local AVI Student Ambassadors and Alumni, where they shared meaningful memories and geared up for an exciting school year.
To learn more about these two reunions, please click here.
Join us for a delicious bagel lunch at Hillel McMaster
McMaster University students – Come for bagels and banter with your fellow classmates to kick off a new school year!
Date: Sept 23rd
Location: Hillel at McMaster University
Time: 10:30am - 2:45pm
In partnership with Hillel McMaster
Delicious bagels provided by Bubby's New York Bagels
Click the above to register!
AVI and Sharaka, an NGO focused on promoting the Abraham Accords,, are thrilled to announce the United We Stand: Voices for Peace in the Middle East Tour. In partnership with AVI, it is Sharaka's first ever cross-Canada speaking tour across schools, campuses, and community events around the country.
This unprecedented set of multi-city speaking engagements in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Langley will feature a powerful, diverse panel of leaders dedicated to real dialogue and regional peace: Luai Ahmed, Tamer Masudin, and Fatema Al-Harbi.
Beyond fostering interpersonal connections, Sharaka actively promotes tolerance and fights extremism through global outreach and specialized educational programs—including leading historic Arab delegations to Holocaust memorial sites to counter antisemitism and build regional empathy.
To buy a ticket in your city, please click here.
Click the above graphic to learn more and apply
To kick off our next Common Roots Ambassadorship, we will be taking our cohort of high school students on a trip to Houston, Texas, for an immersive exploration of coalition-building and advocacy.
As one of the most diverse cities in the United States, Houston offers a unique opportunity to hear from inspiring Jewish communal leaders, advocates, and interfaith partners who are building meaningful relationships and creating positive change within their communities.
Through engaging workshops, dynamic conversations, and hands-on learning, Grade 8-12 students of all backgrounds will strengthen their advocacy and leadership skills, learn effective strategies for community engagement and storytelling, and connect with peers from across Canada.
Together, participants will explore how collaboration, allyship, and shared values can help create lasting impact while exploring Houston’s history and culture, enjoying exciting activities, and building friendships that will last a lifetime.
If you're looking for a community that feels like home and a program that pushes you to grow and learn, you just found it.
To learn more and apply, please click here.
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