Persian and Jewish students at York University unite
- Allied Voices for Israel (AVI)
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
PLUS: Urgent town hall on campus hate, AVI events from coast to coast, education, celebrating Christmas and Chanukah in Montreal, and more!
Jewish and Persian students from York University, alongside AVI staff and advocate Salman Sima, at our 'From Persia to Jerusalem' gathering in Toronto
As the year comes to a close and after our phenomenal Herzl Awards ceremony, it brings us great joy to continue to see Jewish and allied students coming together to build a stronger tomorrow.
It was in this spirit of allyship that Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) recently hosted From Persia to Jerusalem, a fun solidarity gathering at a Persian restaurant in Toronto in partnership with both Jewish and Persian student clubs at York University. One of the groups included Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at York led by Michael Mandel, one of our Student Ambassador and Herzl Award recipients.
In addition to students, human rights advocate Salman Sima, AVI founder Daniel Koren, and our Director of Campus Affairs Idaliah Snajdman also joined. We had a blast eating delicious Persian cuisine and celebrating friendship, shared history, and enduring allyship.
Click on the above image to register
Hate and antisemitism on university campuses is here. It’s affecting our students, our families, our community. In a bid to bring together our community, The Leah Posluns Theatre in Toronto is hosting Campus Hate: A Community Conversation and town hall that isn't about politics.
AVI is proud to be a partner alongside various other partner groups.
This panel discussion will take place on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7:30pm. The evening will bring together voices who understand the weight of this moment and the fears our students carry.
Click the above graphic to see what we got up to recently, from coast to coast!
Our AVI staff, students, and community members have been hard at work building coalitions and spearheading educational initiatives impacting Jews and their allies across Canada. Here are a few of the exciting things we have been up to lately:
AVI’s Director of Quebec and Atlantic Canada Noa Peretz Benchaya was invited on Radio Centre Ville Montreal, where she spoke to host Paul Lip about AVI’s initiatives and how we support students on campuses across Canada. To watch the full interview, please click here.
AVI’s Alberta Campus Advisor Jean-Luc Mudingayi was invited to speak at the Hindu Heritage Month event at Calgary’s Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, brought in by our friends from the Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA).
Hosted a bagel lunch in partnership with Hillel UBC for students at University of British Columbia.
Ran a telethon during our matching fundraiser with our incredible Student Ambassadors Coby and Bisrat!
To see photos from these events, please click here.
AVI's Director of Education, Gabriela Rosenblum
A huge thank-you to Habonim Hebrew School for welcoming our Director of Education, Gabriela, to lead our new “Who Are the Jews?” workshop!
It was a morning full of hands-on learning, curious questions, and meaningful connections, which is exactly the kind of impact we’re proud to bring to classrooms across the country.
At AVI, we are committed to empowering the next generation with knowledge, confidence, and a strong sense of identity.
To see more photos from the workshop, please click here.
Director of Quebec & Atlantic Canada Noa handed out jelly doughnuts (left) and festive cookies and candy canes (right) to McGill University students
With Chanukah and Christmas both around the corner, our students and staff got into the holiday spirit!
We handed out over 2,000 jelly donuts to McGill students in partnership with StartUp Nation and Hillel Montreal and distributed holiday-themed cookies and festive candy canes to sweeten up the holiday season for students at McGill University, in partnership with StandWithUs Canada.
To see more pics, please click here.
(Top photo): Common Ground Ambassador Massimo Mazza (left) with Noa!
AVI recently partnered with Chabad at McGill to host an informative pizza lunch for students at McGill University. Our Common Ground Ambassador Massimo joined in on the fun!
University of British Columbia students had a blast decorating dreidels at Hillel UBC!
We also co-hosted a fun Dreidel decorating event, organized in partnership with Hillel at the University of British Columbia! AVI staff spoke more about AVI's educational workshops, allyship initiatives and programs, including our upcoming Common Ground mission to Israel.
To see a summary of the event and marvel at our student's beautiful dreidel creations, please click here.
Our #AmbassadorSpotlight is University of Calgary Student Arielle!
Meet Arielle, one of our amazing Common Ground Ambassadors studying commerce at the University of Calgary!
“Growing up, I tended to be the only Jewish person in the room and took pride in my honourary role of educating people on the history and practices of Judaism. One thing that I always understood and was forever instilled in me is the light and hope that is at the core of the Jewish people and our values. After October 7th, I felt my knowledge gap growing and my energy for the topics dwindling. My light began to dim and my peripheral narrowed as I felt more isolated on this topic.
After receiving the opportunity to take part in AVI’s Common Ground Ambassadorship alongside a diverse group of students, my light began to be rekindled. Hearing from Jewish allies about their reasons for becoming an ambassador and the ways they have been involved revived my hope for peace and progress.
There are so many commonalities Judaism shares with various cultures, because of our longstanding heritage across the globe. As a Chinese Jew with backgrounds from Russia and the Caribbean, I earnestly felt this mission of uniting communities through AVI’s core values.”
Comments