PLUS: AVI students participate in several incredible events; our Indigenous allies visit Jerusalem, and more!
Founder and Executive Director Daniel Koren and Indigenous advocate Ryan Bellerose at the weekly rally in Toronto in support of Israel
AVI's Founder and Executive Director Daniel Koren stood with allies (including our friend, Indigenous advocate Ryan Bellerose) and students at the rally at Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto last week.
We are so proud of our Toronto community and the incredible leaders who continue to show up not just for Israel, but for Canada – for our values, and our way of life. A huge shout-out to Guidy Mamann, Esther Bakinka, and all the organizers who have hosted this weekly rally every consecutive Sunday since the Oct. 7 attacks.
AVI East Coast Campus Advisor Noa Peretz Benchaya with members of Bring Them Home Montreal and some incredible allies, including Former Mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre and Iranian Ally and AVI Allyship Committee Member Reza Azarpoor
Montreal had an incredible turnout at Bring Them Home Montreal's O Canada – Bring Her Home rally.
AVI Student Ambassadors and staff marched through Hampstead Park with Human Rights Activist Hillel Neuer, former Mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre, Iranian Human Rights Activist at the Iranian Justice Collective Tara Dachek, and other incredible allies and community members.
The rally was in support of Judi and Gadi Weinstein Haggai, the only Canadian hostages whose bodies are still being held in Gaza. It was an honour to have their brave and inspiring daughter Iris Weinstein Haggai at the rally as well.
Left: The girls of ZBO Sorority bake challah at Toronto Metropolitan University; Right: Students at Hillel York attend our Pizza & Schmooze event
AVI has been incredibly busy engaging student leaders on campuses across Canada.
Last week, AVI students hosted a challah bake for the sisters of the Zeta Beta Omega (ZBO) sorority, which was a huge success! The girls bonded over this beautiful Jewish tradition, while honing their challah braiding skills. A huge thank you to Hillel TMU for inviting us and our Senior Campus Advisor Idaliah Snajdman into your colourful and fun loft on campus.
Thank you in particular to Hillel TMU’s Engagement & Advocacy Coordinator, Ya’el Kastiel, for graciously hosting us!
AVI students also participated in a Pizza & Schmooze lunch for York University students, in partnership with Hillel York. Students ate pizza while learning all about our Common Ground Ambassadorship and Israel trip, as well as other exciting upcoming AVI initiatives.
Idaliah leading a workshop on BDS at the McMaster Hillel Lounge
Idaliah also led our BDS: Undermining Coexistence and Dialogue workshop in partnership with the McMaster chapter of ZBO and Hillel at McMaster!
Click on the graphic to purchase tickets to see Yoseph Haddad in your city!
Presented by AVI and generously sponsored by Israeli Mall & Dr. Steven Stein, you are invited to United We Stand: An Evening with Yoseph Haddad in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver!
Yoseph will be speaking on the following dates:
🏙️Montreal on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024
🏙️Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
🏙️Calgary on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024
🏙️Vancouver on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
All tickets and sponsorships will receive a full charitable tax receipt.
Click the above photo to listen to Grand Chief Lynda Prince's speech at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
This month, our friends at the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem (IEJ) hosted their inaugural Academic Symposium. While there, Grand Chief Lynda Prince, a member of the Tl’azt’en First Nation in British Columbia who has been coming to Israel since 1990, shared a few words from the Mount of Olives.
“We came to stand with the IEJ and the Indigenous people. To stand in the height of this war. To make our presence known, that not everyone hates the Jewish people…We are unifying as indigenous people,” said Prince.
“The IEJ gave us a mechanism to unify so that our presence will be made known in this land, hopefully 24/7, 365 days a year.”
The symposium featured an array of Indigenous voices and perspectives, including First Nations Canadian Karen Restoule. Karen recently wrote an article on how the appropriation of settler terminology is used to justify terror. You can read snippets of this incredible article here.
In other Indigenous allyship news, Indigenous-Peruvian Zionist Deysy Tacza, who is a member of the Wanca tribe, was recently published in Tablet Magazine. “I stood up for Israel and have been talked down to ever since,” writes Tacza.
(L-R) AVI Allyship Advisor Justin Chow, AVI Allyship Committee Chair Kristin Berry, Founder & Executive Director Daniel Koren, Director of Operations & Development Lea Bloom, Director of Education Gabriela Rosenblum, and Senior Campus Advisor Idaliah Snajdman
On Thursday, Nov. 7th, the AVI team attended the Spirit of Hope Gala hosted by Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) honouring the outspoken allyship of Dr. Phil and eight other steadfast friends of Israel and the Jewish people.
A huge mazel tov to the allies who were recognized. Thank you for your continued devoted allyship and advocacy for Israel and the Jewish people. You all truly deserve this honour.
Click the above graphic to learn more about our #AmbassadorSpotlight - Queen's University Philosophy Student Conrad Jane
Meet #AmbassadorSpotlight Conrad Jane, one of our incredible Common Ground Ambassadors and allies, who is currently studying Philosophy at Queen’s University.
“Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, and it therefore must be defended as a Jewish state. But the reality is Israel is so much more than a Jewish state; it’s a place where peoples of all backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities, and religions can find safe and free expression,” says Conrad.
“My time in Israel as a Common Ground Ambassador deepened my understanding of Israel. I had always known Israel was a place rich with cultural diversity, where people of all different ethnic and religious backgrounds have gathered for millennia. I had known this, but actually being there, seeing it for myself and speaking with so many different people, I now have a better sense of what makes Israel’s diversity so special.”
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