Chag Sameach Pesach-Celebrate Freedom! | CAEF Bulletin, April 11, 2025
- CAEF
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Celebrate Freedom and Protect Our Freedom
B’nai Brith Canada has provided the latest data on Antisemitism in their Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. Key facts: 6,219 incidents reported in 2024, an increase of 7.4% over 2023 which was already a large increase over the previous year. In the pages of this report, you will see graphic examples of the Jew hatred presented on our streets, from graffiti to encampments, protests, marches and more.
Read the latest edition of B’nai Brith Canada’s annual data and analysis of antisemitic incidents. “Antisemitism in Canada has reached perilous, record-setting heights, according to the latest edition of our Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.”
Preparing Students 10-12 for CAMPUS - Ontario Residents Read This
Jewish high school students are increasingly facing challenges to their identity and beliefs when they enter post-secondary school. To better prepare them for what they will face on campus, we invite Jewish students in grades 10-12 to the Campus Ready Retreat.
This weekend-long program is presented by Makom, an initiative of The Jewish Agency For Israel, and provides education and practical workshops on Israel, antisemitism, and how to navigate the campus environment. Participants will also enjoy camp-style fun and activities in the scenic environment of Mansfield Outdoor Centre, located an hour north of the GTA.
The program is open to all Jewish high school students in both private and public schools. Shabbat and kashrut will be observed.
Transportation:
There will be a free shuttle bus travelling from the Lipa Green Centre to the retreat. Participants are welcome to register for the bus or to drive up themselves. The retreat will begin at 5:30 PM on Friday, May 2, for all attendees.
For more information and to register, click here.
Advancing Knowledge, Informing Responses, Uniting Efforts
CAEF is a Silver Sponsor of the Symposium on Antisemitism, May 5-7, Brock University.
Torontonians—Complete the Survey-protect public and private spaces
The city is contemplating a bylaw to create a ‘bubble zone” around faith based facilities and more. There is a public consultation so please complete the survey.
Disgraceful Ending to the Gang Attack on Indigo Books by Michael Teper, Vice President, Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation
November 10, 2023 was the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, and just over a month after the October 7 massacre. On that day, eleven people in Toronto ganged up and inflicted over $5,000 of damage to the downtown location of Indigo Books & Music Inc. They daubed the windows with paint and glue. It cost almost $10,000 to remove it. This act of vandalism was planned and deliberate.
Of the 11, charges were dropped against seven. Two got absolute discharges - no consequences at all. On April 10th , in the Ontario Court of Justice, the final two defendants received conditional discharges. No convictions, slight taps on the wrist.
The lesson is clear. Jewish-owned businesses are easy targets. No point complaining to the police. Even if the police do their jobs, the crown is weak and the judge will hand out a trivial penalty, or none.
Now imagine if the target of this vandalism were a Black-owned business. Or an LGBT-owned business. Or an Indigenous-owned business. Would the judge be this indulgent? Now imagine if it were a pro-Israel street gang that inflicted this damage on a Palestinian-Arab owned business. Would the judge be this indulgent?
There is two-tier justice in this city. The concept of "Equal Justice Under Law" has become a joke. Our prosecution service and judges need better training, or maybe we just need better prosecutors and better judges.
Photo credit: thestar.com
Say No to Antisemitism!
On Sunday April 6th a sturdy group of 25 individuals stood on a windy corner of mainstreet Belleville, Bell Boulevard, to show the public that they stand with Israel. Organized by Douglas Lobel and other members of the local and only synagogue, in a town of 61,680 with about 200 Jewish families, the rally was to counter the regular anti-Israel protest that takes place on the same main road, beside a major shopping plaza. The Jewish event is further West and without any roadside amenities.
Speaker at the corner included Andria Spindel, Executive Director of CAEF, Rishabh Sarswat, President of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), and Liat Schwartz, President of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Toronto Metropolitan University and an AVI campus ambassador. A few other supporters drove in from outside Belleville. The purpose of the rally is to both show unity, counter the lies, build communal support.
Messages that were delivered by the speakers focussed on standing strong, knowing and speaking the truth, and countering the misinformation and intentional disinformation being shared by anti-Israel conspirators and Jew haters.
DONATE NOW TO CAEF — SUPPORT ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, JUSTICE FOR JEWS!
Rawan Osman Rocks
Raised in Lebanon, a frequent visitor to Syria, further educated in France, lived in UAE and now in Germany, this amazing Arab woman, Rawan Osman, explained to a spell-bound audience how Islam functions, how the Palestinian cause serves a supremacist vision, and how Israel is on a righteous path that serves humanity. Travelling the world, supporting Zionism, challenging Islamist/Leftist antisemitism, has become a passionate avocation for Osman.
On April 8, she was a guest speaker of Tafsik, Toronto Zionist Council and Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, at the Lodzer Centre Congregation.
No one has been more articulate or more informed in expressing the truth and rebutting all the lies about Israel, even going back to centuries of Islamic Jew hatred. Osman explained how she went from being a secular young person, deeply educated to hate and even fear Jews, to a person studying and emulating Jewish values and beliefs.
Follow Rawan Osman on Instagram @rawanosman2024
Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem – A Great Ally—Sign Up for Information
Regular Updates from IEJ share updates on actions taken, leadership in diplomacy and education and many cultural activities. The April 7, 2025 Update includes a celebration of Canadian Grand Prince Lynda Prince as well as two very important impactful presentations by Dr. Sheree Trotter, a New Zealand scholar who presents a strong case for all indigenous people to recognize the indigeneity of the Jewish people.
Free Expression, Academic Freedom, —Not Freedom to Lie
The North Carolina Coalition for Israel has brought it home for all of us-teaching lies with the word “Palestine” is a war of words with potential for great harm and this false narrative has been materializing across North America.
To quote the latest NCCI Bulletin, “As George Orwell said, ‘there is no swifter route to the corruption of thought than through the corruption of language.’ And so it is with the word "Palestine." It is being used as a weapon to erase Israel, and with it Jewish history.”
At the University of North Carolina, there is a course called Imagining Palestine. This institution is taxpayer funded, so why is it supporting a course about a non-existent country that is in some fantastical universe, replacing Israel?
This problem is spreading across many academic institutions and should be investigated. At the University of Toronto, a non department, described as an academic or scholarly hub exists called “Hearing Palestine”. The programs they sponsor are characteristically antizionist, with content that makes a sham of evidentiary reporting, and features speakers with dubious histories in antizionist propaganda.
Read article by Amy Rosenthal in The Carolina Journal, questioning whether taxpayers fund university programs that promote an ideology of lies and bigotry.
One of Humanity’s Darkest Hours: The Untold Story of the Holocaust
This pioneering book features interactive elements and an AI - artificial intelligence-powered chatbot redefining how we engage with history, memory, and moral reflection in the present day.
Bill Tinglin is a global leader in education, social impact, and humanitarian advocacy. 1993, he founded School News Nationwide (SNN), revolutionizing education by integrating technology, journalism, and media. His work has transformed New York City’s schools, training educators in ethics and interdisciplinary studies while inspiring students to pursue careers in law enforcement, education, social services, and entrepreneurship. In 2005, he launched Words of Bonds, which bridges African American and Jewish communities through interviews with Holocaust survivors and Black elders. It fosters dialogue, unity, and historical awareness.
Read sample chapters and purchase the book on Amazon.
Recommended Reading
Read TheJ.ca article about Liberal leader, Mark Carney’s response to antizionist hecklers at his Calgary rally on April 9th, agreeing with a claim of genocide in Palestine.
Read article by Dave Gordon in the JNS.org about how Toronto Jewish leaders expressing shock at huge cost to the city of Toronto in providing police security at protests held without permits, all the enemies of Israel.
Read about the reprehensible behaviour of Jew haters at Cavendish Mall in Montreal, as reported by Joel Ceausu in the Canadian Jewish News.
Read Morton Klein’s article in ZOA from Moment Magazine, answering the question: What Does it Mean to be Pro-Israel in 2025?
Read this lengthy article by Adam Kirsch in Sapir, on whether AntiZionist Jews are antisemitic.
Read article by John Spencer and Arsen Ostrovsky on Israel’s High Court’s ruling that Gaza narrative by the International Courts is false.
Read article by Zev Stub in The Times of Israel about recent study findings that clearly show Central Asian countries are showing more positive views of Jews and Israel in their school texts.
Advocacy and Action
Read CAEF letter to the Principal of Etobicoke School of the Arts re a planned fundraiser that made a false claim of genocide by Israel.
Read Letter from Richard Sherman, Florida, on April 8, 2025 to Linda Mills, President of NYU in response to her letter to the NYU community.
Rally Against AntiZionism which is Antisemitism
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