Kingston Mayor meets with AVI staff to discuss educational initiatives

PLUS: AVI Student Ambassadors host tablings at campuses including U of T, McMaster, TMU, York, and Guelph!

Meeting with Kingston's Mayor Bryan Paterson (right, in our AVI hat!)

This week, Allied Voices for Israel (AVI)'s Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum led a series of educational workshops and programs to the vibrant and diverse community of Kingston, Ontario.

Between workshops and educational initiatives, Gabriela met with Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson to share AVI's work and some of the recent experiences of Jews in Canada, building on topics of diversity within Jewish experience and how anti-Israel sentiments are affecting Jews in Ontario – and across the country.

Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum lead two workshops to community members in Kingston

While in Kingston, Gabriela also led two educational workshops at two important community events. 

Gabriela led a workshop on Dialogue to Impact with the Kingston Jewish Council, and AVI's Who are the Jews? workshop at an interfaith roundtable with wonderful members of the Iranian, Bahá’í, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in attendance!

To see a summary of our programs, please click here. 

AVI students leading "Empowered Women of Israel" tablings at McMaster (top left), UofT (top right), and TMU!

In honour of International Women's Day, our AVI Student Ambassadors at the University of Toronto and McMaster University led tablings educating their peers with our Empowered Women of Israel campaign, in partnership with Hillel UofT and Hillel McMaster. 

At Toronto Metropolitan University, we had a meaningful time partnering with Students Supporting Israel (SSI) TMU. AVI Student Ambassadors Samantha and Liat, along with AVI Social Media Intern Kyla, helped lead conversations and share stories highlighting the incredible impact of Israeli women across society. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a tabling celebrating legendary Israeli women without some of our signature Golda T-shirts! Thank you to all the students who stopped by to learn, connect, and celebrate female empowerment with us.

To see more photos of our Empowered Women tablings at UofT and McMaster, please click here. 

AVI students leading "Hebrews and Hip Hop" tablings at York University (left) and the University of Guelph (right)

This week at York University, AVI Student Ambassadors Bisrat and Brandon helped spark conversations about often-overlooked Jewish contributions to hip hop, through our Hebrews and Hip Hop tabling.

From artists to executives to cultural pioneers, Jewish voices have played an important role in shaping the genre and the industry around it. ⁠The purpose of the tabling is to create opportunities for organic conversation and dialogue about Jews and Israel – without it starting with politics or conflicts.

At Guelph University, AVI Students Daniel and Gracie partnered with Hillel Guelph on Hebrews and Hip Hop, bringing a fresh and engaging conversation to campus.

Moments like these are what AVI is all about: students and allies creating space for learning, dialogue, and celebrating Jewish contributions to culture.

To see photos from our tabling at York, please click here. 

To see photos from our tabling at Guelph, please click here.

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Attention Vancouver students! Join us for our Unity Social hosted by AVI Student Ambassadors and allies at University of British Columbia. A vibrant gathering that celebrates the beauty of cultures, backgrounds, and traditions coming together in one space. This event is all about connection, community, and shared experiences. Meet new people, learn about different cultures, and enjoy an evening filled with meaningful conversations, laughter, and unity.⁠

Whether you come to represent your heritage, discover others, or simply connect with a diverse community, everyone is welcome. Let’s celebrate what makes us unique, and what brings us together.⁠

When: March 19th⁠

Time: 6 pm - 9 pm⁠

Where: Vancouver – Location sent upon registration⁠

Organized in partnership with Israel on Campus (IOC) at UBC and the Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA). 

To register, please click here. 

Click the above flyer to register!

Community. Food. Shabbat.

These are more than just words, they are the foundation of what we are building together. Join AVI and Hillel Ottawa next Friday, March 27th for our Unity Shabbat, an evening that brings people of all backgrounds around one table to share a meal, exchange ideas, and experience the warmth of Jewish life.

This gathering reflects AVI’s core mission: fostering meaningful conversation, building genuine partnerships, and creating spaces where education and understanding can thrive.

Through the simple yet powerful act of sharing food and observing Shabbat, we create opportunities for connection, curiosity, and mutual respect. Whether you come to learn, to engage, or simply to be part of something welcoming and uplifting, there is a place for you at the table. Everyone is welcome, so bring a friend and join us for an evening of community, learning, and unity.

When: March 27 | 6:30pm

Candle lighting: 7:07pm

Where: FSS 4007, uOttawa campus 

To register, please click here.

Join us, Tamid at Western University, and Aaron Spivak for this important drop-in conversation!

Join AVI and Tamid at Western University for a conversation with Canadian founder and business leader Aaron Spivak.

Come hear about entrepreneurship, leadership, and building successful ventures.

When: Mar 31st at 7pm

Refreshments will be provided

This is a drop-in event, so no registration is required.

Click the above image to read!

AVI's Founder and Executive Director Daniel Koren had a guest essay recently published in Catch – a substack by Toronto lawyer, educator, and advocate Adam Hummel. 

“Tucker Carlson recently suggested that Jews should take DNA tests to prove their connection to the land of Israel,” writes Daniel. 

“The irony is that such testing has effectively already been done. Not by podcast hosts or political commentators, but by population geneticists, historians and archaeologists over decades of research. [...] Across multiple independent studies, the overwhelming body of scientific evidence shows that Jewish populations around the world share deep genetic roots in the Levant, the same region where Jewish civilization first emerged.” 

To read Tucker Carlson Wants Jews to Take DNA Tests – But the Science Already Exists, please click here.