READ: TMU students say anti-Israel attack was a ‘nightmare’

PLUS: McMaster students encourage arson on campus over support for TMU attack, Jewish & Christian students unite at AVI event in Vancouver, and more!

Click the above graphic to read the piece

On behalf of Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), I would like to share how incredibly proud we are of our AVI Student Ambassador Liat Schwartz. Liat has not only worked with AVI dozens of times as a student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) but she exemplifies what it is to be a Jewish warrior and advocate today.

In a new National Post piece, which discusses the violent and horrific incident right outside of TMU last week, Liat shares more about her harrowing experience being harassed and verbally accosted by the violent, anti-Jewish mob who disrupted the event hosted by Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at TMU last week.

Other AVI Student Ambassadors, as well as AVI Executive Director Daniel Koren, are also quoted in the article.

“My body was shaking. I was hyperventilating. I was trying to talk to the police, but I was crying,” says Liat.

To read Jewish TMU student says Toronto event disrupted by anti-Israel protesters was a nightmare, please click here.

Click the above graphic to read Liat's op-ed

Liat also published her own op-ed in today's National Post, titled: It was unreal as anti-Israel protesters attacked our off campus event.

“This was not a protest. It was an act of intimidation and trespass. It was violence, plain and simple, directed at Jewish students for daring to host an event about Israel,” Liat writes. 

“And it happened not in some distant conflict zone, but in downtown Toronto, at a Canadian university that prides itself on diversity, inclusion, and respect.”

To read Liat's piece in full, please click here.

Mazel tov, again, Liat, for standing strong as an Ambassador for Am Yisrael. Your community is proud of you!!!

Click the above graphic to read our full statement

Meanwhile, AVI is absolutely appalled by a recent Instagram story shared by McMaster Apartheid Divest (MacAD) – a McMaster University-affiliated student club.

Set against a stark, crimson background (a fitting colour, considering its violent and graphic nature), the text reads: “@sjptmu next time just burn the building down.”

This text was posted to the club’s Instagram page mere hours after members of SSI TMU were harassed and accosted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at TMU for hosting a non-violent, off-campus event. 

We must TAKE ACTION and hold McMaster University's administration responsible for allowing such hatred to fester on their campus. ⁠

Send emails demanding change to:⁠

Susan Tighe, President, McMaster University: president@mcmaster.ca⁠

Piper Plavins, President, McMaster Students Union: president@msu.mcmaster.ca⁠

To read our full statement, please click here.

High School Advisor Michelle led a workshop on the nuances of language with teens from BBYO and NCSY!

This week, our amazing High School Advisor Michelle visited the Margaret's Legacy Teen Tour at the Holocaust Learning and Jewish Advocacy Centre, established by the Hamilton Jewish Federation.

The tour was followed by Michelle leading a packed and interactive AVI workshop on understanding the nuances of language. Teens from BBYO Hamilton and Hamilton NCSY joined in on this memorable and meaningful evening, commemorating Holocaust Education Week. 

To see more photos, please click here.

Click the above graphic to see what our students on the West Coast got up to this week

It was a lovely week for our students on the West Coast!⁠

Firstly, AVI hosted a successful Jewish & Christian Unity social with the UBC Jewish Students Association (JSA) and Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry Canada. Students had ice breaker cards at their tables, which they didn’t need to use, as genuine connections were made and friendships were built instantly!⁠

Secondly, our Common Ground Ambassadors Matthew and Joseph led a Hebrews & Hip Hop tabling at the University of British Columbia ⁠

To see more photos and videos from the event, please click here.

Donate Now

Click the above flyer to register

Join us for a fun get together for teens in Victoria! Meet local friends, connect with peers, and start planning your next meetup. This is a relaxed and welcoming space to hang out, share ideas, and build lasting friendships. AVI is proud to co-host this event alongside our friends at Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and PJ Library.

📅 Date: Sunday, Nov 16th

⌚ Time: 2:00- 3:30PM

📍Location: Victoria (exact location will be shared upon registration)

⁠To register, please click here. 

Click the above graphic to register!

Are students still safe on campus?

Join us for a crucial conversation: Are Students Safe on Campus? Charlie Kirk and the Future of College Discourse with guest speaker Shabbos Kestenbaum.

📅Sunday, November 23

⌚ 7:30 PM 

This event brings together students, community leaders, and advocates to discuss the safety, speech climate, and future of student life on campus.

Space is limited! To register, please click here.

Click the above graphic to register!

We’d like to officially invite students in downtown Toronto to our annual Bagels & Babka event at OCAD University, now with an Artist Talk!

📅 Wednesday, November 19th, 2025

⌚ 6:30 PM

📍 Location upon RSVP

Join us for Bagels & Babka, a night of art and good company. Come meet Michelle Jacobs (@kissmy_art) for a conversation about her art, process, and resilience within the art world as a Judaica artist.

To register, please click here. 

OCAD University Student Miranda is our #AmbassadorSpotlight

Meet Miranda, one of our amazing AVI Ambassadors studying creative writing at OCAD University!⁠

“After Oct. 7, I was alarmed by the culture of extremism unmasked at my university campus. It’s a culture which celebrates the slaughter of Jews as ‘necessary resistance’; demonizes Jewish grief as an act of hatred or racism for the other; and cloaks its militantly regressive, antisemitic beliefs in faux-progressive language.

Though I knew that antisemitic attitudes about Israel were already common prior to Oct. 7, the depths of the hatred and layers of libel believed about Jews felt insurmountable.⁠

My desire to change the campus environment is what attracted me to AVI. The values promoted by their Common Ground Ambassadorship are antidotes to the kind of polarization and intolerance saturating student life.

Since becoming an Ambassador, I have been blown away by the dedication and passion shared by my cohort. To see so much non-Jewish interest in combating antisemitism has been deeply moving; the experience of such allyship has helped renew my sense of confidence as a campus ambassador, knowing that hearts and minds can still be reached.”⁠