Shana Tova from AVI!
- Allied Voices for Israel (AVI)
- Sep 21
- 5 min read
PLUS: Our Scotch & Cigars for Israel event is a huge success, AVI Student Ambassador publishes op-ed on antisemitism at Western, and more!
Click the above graphic to read AVI Common Ground Ambassador and Christian ally Tiauna Lodewyk's piece in the Algemeiner
On behalf of Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), I would like to wish you and your family a Chag Sameach and Shana Tova u’Metukah! May 5786 bring our community only happiness, strength, and our remaining hostages home.
With all that’s happening in Canada and around the world, it’s understandable that this holiday feels particularly difficult. But as we celebrate the New Year tonight, surrounded by friends and loved ones, I hope our community can take pride in how much the Jewish People have accomplished, how long our traditions have endured, and how far we have come despite the challenges we continue to face.
We’ve been on this path before – and we’ve always persevered. We’ve always let our values and principles guide us. And we’ve always survived.
Shana Tova and Chag Sameach!
Our generous host Rick Ekstein, MPP Laura Smith, Rafi Yablonsky, Executive Director of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation, and AVI Founder Daniel Koren at our Scotch & Cigars for Israel event
Thank you to everyone who helped make our inaugural Scotch & Cigars for Israel event a huge success!
We raised just under $130,000 to go towards our vital AVI programs to unite students of all backgrounds against anti-Jewish hatred.
We are deeply grateful to our generous hosts Lillian and Rick Ekstein, our Title Sponsor the Ganz Family Foundation and Herzl Sponsor Neil Closner, and our Dinner Sponsor Justin Lesnick and Olive Branch.
A special thank you as well to Arrow Furniture GTA for their luxurious raffle prize, Neat Scotch House for curating the excellent whiskey list, and Alex at Platinum Studios for the photos.
The evening was filled with incredible energy, featuring expertly crafted fare from Olive Branch, premium scotch selections, live music by Porch Jam, and fine cigars that made it truly special.
With gratitude to our outstanding event co-chairs Justin Lesnick and Jonathan Spiegelman, and committee members Margarita Cargher, Erin Cohen, Chen Goel, Raviv K, Jodi Michaels, Emile Perez, and Mark Wexler for helping make the night a resounding success. We would also like to thank former MP Marco Mendicino and Laura Smith for joining us.
To watch a recap of the event, please click here.
To see photos from the event, please click here.
Click the above graphic to read AVI Common Ground Ambassador and Christian ally Tiauna Lodewyk's piece in the Algemeiner
We are proud of our tenacious AVI Student Ambassador and Christian ally Tiauna Lodewyk, whose powerful piece was recently published in the Algemeiner. In her op-ed, Tiauna condemns the recent antisemitic messages that were circulated by anti-Israel students at her campus, Western University.
“University and college campuses across North America have increasingly become battlegrounds where Biblical values, freedom of thought, and open dialogue are under siege. In many cases, the rejection of these foundational principles has given rise to a deeply rooted hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people, often masked in 'political activism' and pro-Palestinian advocacy,” writes Tiauna.
“Western University, where I have been a student and Jewish ally for the past two years, has recently come under scrutiny due to the discovery of explicit antisemitic hate uncovered by several Jewish students who originally infiltrated the open group chat of the university-sanctioned Palestinian Cultural Club.”
To read My University Looks the Other Way as Pro-Palestinian Group Chat Praises Hitler, Encourages Violence Against Jewish Students, please click here.
Click the above photo to see our sweet tabling!
In honour of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, our AVI team educated University of British Columbia students on the significance of the holiday. Thank you to StandWithUs Canada for partnering with us on this tabling!
To check out our Rosh Hashanna tabling at UBC, please click here.
Click the above still to watch a clip from our latest Common Voices episode, with AVI Student Ambassadors Michael Mandel and Liat Schwartz!
For the first time ever, we had two of our AVI Student Ambassadors on episode 8 of the Common Voices podcast!
Host and AVI Founder Daniel Koren engaged in a meaningful conversation with York University student Michael Mandel and Toronto Metropolitan University student Liat Schwartz on their experiences as Jewish students on campus today.
Recent surveys reveal a concerning trend: Jewish students and their allies face more discrimination than any other minorities on Canadian campuses. Many are afraid to be openly Jewish or express their views on the Middle East conflict.
While some quietly hide their Star of David necklaces, others like Michael and Liat are proudly displaying them, enduring acts of intimidation and threats of violence.
To listen to Common Voices episode 8: “Canadian students speak freely about campus Jewish hate,” please click here.
To watch the full episode on YouTube, please click here.
Click the above graphic to see what Team AVI got up to this week, as the new school year quickly ramps up!
Our busy AVI staff and students from coast to coast got up to a lot of exciting initiatives last week, including:
Working with Jewish high school students to stand up against antisemitism in Montreal;
Collaborating with our partners at Hillel Ottawa and Hillel Edmonton on upcoming local initiatives;
Connecting with students about our Israel educational programs at Toronto Metropolitan University, York University, TanenbaumCHAT, and B'nei Akivah Schools;
WATCH: AVI Student Ambassadors build alliances on campus at York (Sept. 17)
Leading engaging Rosh Hashanah events at UBC
Teaching one of our AVI workshops to the Jewish Medical Association of British Columbia (JMABC);
And much more!
To check out AVI's recent impact nationwide, please click here.
Click the above graphic to register!
Spots are filling up for the upcoming in-person launch of Never Again: Allies Speak Out Against Antisemitism in Toronto. This poetry anthology curated by Sharon Zohar features a collection of poems of incredible allies speaking out against antisemitism and hatred.
The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 25 in Toronto at 7:30pm.
All proceeds will go towards Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) and our important programs to unite students of all backgrounds to advocate for Israel on high school and university campuses across Canada.
This milestone would not have been possible without our allies and their powerful stories, and we would be honoured to celebrate with you and your families and friends.
The evening will feature:
Readings from the anthology;
Panel discussion with powerful allies including author and commentator Warren Kinsella, Councillor Brad Bradford, and human rights advocate Raheel Raza;
A musical opening by Chai Spirits;
Appetizers and refreshments and much more!
To register, please click here.
Click the above flyer to learn more about both events!
We have a two-part campus program happening in partnership with Hillel Calgary, Passages, StandWithUs Canada, Students Supporting Israel (SSI) Calgary, and Calgary Jewish Federations!
We’re setting the tone with two powerful nights you don’t want to miss:
🎥 October 8 Movie Screening – Uncover the rise of antisemitism post-October 7
🗣️Casey Babb & Loay Alshareef – a timely talk on peace, extremism, and the future of the Middle East
📆 Sept 25 @ 6 pm | Sept 26 @ 12 pm | Location TBA
To register for the screening of October 8, please click here.
To register for Casey Babb and Loay Alshareef, please click here.
It's a pizza party with Hillel UofT!
We’re so excited to welcome you to our Back to School Mixer with the Conservative Club at the University of Toronto.
It will be an evening of drinks, networking, and connecting with the executive team! Learn more about our Common Ground Ambassadorship and other initiatives.
To register, please click here.
Comments