Federation CJA

“Unlearn it” program to fight antisemitism launched in Quebec

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Federation CJA and the Quebec government recently unveiled a Quebec version of Unlearn It, the educational resource that “supports parents and educators in teaching youth how to identify, unlearn, and stand against antisemitism.”

The program for elementary and high school students, announced at a Gelber Centre press conference by CIJA Quebec vice-president Eta Yudin, Quebec Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism Christopher Skeete and Federation CJA board chair Steve Sebag, comes at a time of skyrocketing antisemitic incidents, in words and deeds, in Quebec since Oct. 7, including antisemitic smears directed at Jewish students in school classrooms and playgrounds, and on social media.

The Unlearn It program, a free, bilingual resource launched in Ontario in 2023, “offers short educational videos and discussion guides to frame constructive, courageous conversations – at home or in the classroom – centred on Canadian Grade 6-8 students’ lived experiences with antisemitism and online hate.” Animated videos, in French and based on actual antisemitic incidents, were shown at the press conference.

Yudin said that “at a time when the figures show a frightening rise in hate crimes and incidents – in Montreal, the SPVM noted a 67 percent increase in hate crimes and a 138 percent rise in hate incidents – and when we have sounded the alarm many times about the ravages of antisemitism in our society, a new, effective educational tool to combat this scourge is sincerely welcome.

“With this choice, the Quebec government is following its words with actions.”

Yair Szlak, President and CEO of Federation CJA, said that “since education is often the best weapon for destroying prejudice and confronting hatred, we’re delighted to have been able to adapt the Unlearn It program. It will also help combat hatred among fellow students. This program will help protect our community by providing a new educational weapon to combat hateful prejudice.”

Skeete said that raising awareness is “crucial in countering prejudice and preventing discrimination in its various forms.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the advocacy agency of Federation CJA. Through their collaboration with our government, they have brought to fruition a valuable and innovative tool for promoting peaceful coexistence, thereby strengthening our shared commitment to fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.”

“Unlearn it” program to fight antisemitism launched in Quebec Read More »

“Enough is Enough!”: Montrealers demand Plante act against antisemitism

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Thousands of Montrealers braved the onset of this week’s heat wave Monday and gathered at Montreal City Hall to demand strong action from Mayor Valérie Plante against antisemitism. The crowd shouted in English and French, “Enough is Enough!” and “Assez c’est Assez!” The Federation CJA-CIJA demonstration took place following the firebombing and shooting of Jewish institutions, and the same day as a scheduled anti-Israel “revolutionary youth summer program” started at the McGill encampment.

In the large crowd were former PQ Minister André Boulerice, members of the Latino community, the Iranian Youth Council, members of the Judeo-Christian Dialogue, and members of the Japanese, Rwandan and Filipino communities. Others on hand included CSL Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and Councillors Andee Shuster and Dida Berku, CDN-NDG councillor Sonny Moroz, former D’Arcy McGee MNA Lawrence Bergman, forner CSL councillor Glenn Nashen and many more.

Raihaana Adira, a member of the Ismaili Muslim community, a McGill Islamic Studies and International Development student and an ally of the Jewish community through Allied Voices for Israel on campus, told the crowd that she was raised with the Islamic values of co-existence and pluralism. Adira said Oct. 7 was the day she began becoming vocal about her alliance with the Jewish community. “While my classmates at McGill were celebrating in the streets and posting how heroic the attack was, I was contacting professors, mentors, friends — every Jewish person I knew in Canada and Israel to make sure their families were okay.” Adira said she has also been a collateral victim of antisemitism and bullying, including through doxxing, “for believing that terrorism is wrong and that Jewish people should not be killed for being Jewish or for living in their ancestral homeland!” She condemned the lack of action against the McGill encampment, “despite it violating both city and McGill bylaws. There have been no steps from the city to dismantle it!Since Day 1, the situation on campus and in Montreal is getting progressively worse and escalating at a high speed! Enough is enough! This is not about Muslim versus Jewish, this is about right versus wrong!”Steven Sebag of Federation CJA said, “stop Jewish hate now!” he added. “Stop antisemitism on our streets and on our campuses today! Enough is enough! We cannot tolerate one more day of hate in the city we love! You, our elected officials, bear the responsibility to protect the Jewish community and restore law and order on our streets and campuses! History has taught us the heavy price of inaction! Do not let history repeat itself! Please act now! Please act today!… It is time to step away from the sidelines and impose tougher measures!”

Martin Rosenthal of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) pointed out that Jewish Montrealers are “experiencing a wave of antisemitism unprecedented in our city. Montreal, which our Mayor has called a city of peace, is today a place of reprehensible actions that place into peril the peace and security of its inhabitants. For too long, our community has been under attack!…Mayor Plante, it is within your power and it is your duty to act!”

The Honourable Jacques Saada,a former MP and current President of the Montreal Holocaust Museum, relayed a message to Mayor Plante that “we do not have the strength to remain silent!” While Saada thanked Plante for her support of the new MHM under construction, he said Montrealers are hearing too often, “yes to antisemitism, yes to racism.” He also pointed out that the MHM’s construction site on St. Laurent Blvd. was vandalized Sunday with slogans inciting violence, including ‘f–k Israel.”

“Enough is Enough!”: Montrealers demand Plante act against antisemitism Read More »

Another Jewish school terrorized by gunshots

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Belz school located in the same building as the Young Israel Synagogue on Hillsdale in Côte des Neiges-NDG was fired upon at 3:36 a.m. Tuesday May 28, but police were only called to the scene the afternoon of Wednesday May 29. The bullet holes were noticed by an employee on Wednesday, and a perpetrator was seen on the school’s video cameras firing at the school.The shooting came six months after Yeshiva Gedolah on Deacon, three blocks away from the school, was fired upon twice. The latest incident also occurred a few days after a Jewish girls school was shot at in Toronto.

For the first time Yair Szlak, president and CEO of Federation CJA and Eta Yudin, Quebec vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish affairs demanded action from the Mayor directly. “We have had enough. Yet another Jewish school was shot at in the middle of the night — in Canada. Decisive action must be taken by Mayor Plante and leadership at the municipal level to finally put an end to the atmosphere of permissiveness towards antisemitism that is now rampant in our city. Mayor Plante referred to Montreal as a “city of peace” [while condemning Israel’s actions in Rafah on social media], but this is not the Montreal anyone wants to live in.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that he was “disgusted that another Jewish school has been the target of a shooting. Relieved that no one was hurt, but I’m thinking of the parents and community members in Montreal who must be incredibly shaken. This is antisemitism, plain and simple — and we will not let it win.”

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wrote, “the second shooting at a Jewish school in a week. We are witnessing a terrifying escalation of antisemitism in this country. The Trudeau government must step up and finally do something to protect Jewish people in Canada against this violence.”

Outremont MP Rachel Bendayan, who represents the area, posted, “four shots at a Jewish school on Hillsdale early Tuesday. I spoke with school administration, community leaders and the federal Minister of Public Safety. The police are investigating. This is the third shooting at a Jewish school in [the] Outremont [riding]. This has to stop.”

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said, “It is completely unacceptable that a Jewish school is once again targeted. Antisemitism has no place in Montreal. The SPVM is on the scene to investigate and I am confident that they will once again find the guilty person.”

The Jewish Community Council is “calling for a rapid and comprehensive response by the government of Canada, the Quebec government, and the City of Montreal so that Jewish Montrealers can once again feel safe walking to school, attending synagogue and going about their daily lives. The JCC has repeatedly called on governments to do more. But our voices have been ignored. We hope and pray that this latest attack serves as an alarm bell.”

B’nai Brith Canada said “such heinous crimes cannot be allowed to become normalized in Canada. We demand an immediate response from leaders at all levels of government. The incitement that has created an environment in which such diabolical acts can so readily occur must end and the safety and security of Canada’s Jewish communities must be ensured.”

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, said “Canadian leaders at every level and across the spectrum must act, or ask themselves if this is the future they want for Canada.” n

Another Jewish school terrorized by gunshots Read More »

Jewish community demands Plante act against antisemitism

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Montreal Jewish community is calling on Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to react more strongly to antisemitism and recent pro-Hamas demonstrations outside Jewish institutions, including the March 4 blockade outside Federation CJA and the March 5 protest of a real estate event at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.

As well, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) revealed that a poster at the Montreal Holocaust Museum was vandalized March 25 with stickers saying “Free Palestine” and “Boycott Genocide Israel.”

“Anti-Israel protesters like to pretend they’re not antisemitic,” CIJA posted on X. “So why did they vandalize a poster at the Montreal Holocaust Museum? These demonstrations of hate must stop.”

CIJA and Federation CJA also revealed that lawyers for Federation served Plante with copies of the recently granted and extended injunction prohibiting pro-Hamas protests from within 50 metres of the Federation CJA building, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, the Cummings Centre, the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA, Herzliah High School and United Talmud Torah of Montreal.

“Following months of antisemitic protest allowed to promulgate on the streets of Montreal, and as protesters continue to test limits, the Mayor must step up and must impose tougher measures to protect community centres, schools and places of worship,” the two organizations stated. “We expect the Mayor to make sure law enforcement upholds the court’s order and do everything within their powers to ensure that the terms are adhered to.”

Federation CJA and CIJA added that they have conveyed their messages through direct communications and public statements to Montreal officials, including Plante, regarding “the grave safety concerns of the Jewish community and the urgent need for concrete measures to deal with the escalating nature of the public protests and potential violence targeting the Jewish community, as well as the dramatic rise in antisemitism.

“A clear message must be sent to those who seek to promote hate in our streets that this will not be tolerated, and this starts by making sure the injunction is being respected.”

Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak also says Plante never said anything about the March 4 blockade of the Federation CJA building, but Plante told reporters she did respond by retweeting a condemnation from CDN-NDG Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa.

Plante and other Montreal officials have also responded to critics that people should feel safe in Montreal, and that the right to protest is protected by the Canadian and Quebec Charters. n

Jewish community demands Plante act against antisemitism Read More »

Judge extends injunction against anti-Israel protests

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

Superior Court Justice Chantal Masse extended the injunction against pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests near Jewish institutions until April 10. The injunction was originally granted by Justice Serge Gaudet. Attorney Neil Oberman, Spiegel Sohmer senior partner, had originally obtained a 10-day provisional injunction.

The proceedings before Justice Masse March 15 were attended by a dozen political and community leaders including Amb. Deborah Lyons,Canada’s Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather, D’Arcy McGee MNA Elizabeth Prass, Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi, City Councillor Sonny Moroz, Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak and CIJA Quebec Vice-President Eta Yudin.

The extension maintains the ban on protests within 50 metres of the sidewalks in front of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue on St. Kevin Ave., the Federation CJA building on Côte Ste. Catherine Rd., the YM-YWHA building on Westbury Ave., Herzliah High School on Mountain Sights Ave. and United Talmud Torahs of Montreal on St. Kevin.

The injunction is against Montréal4Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement Montreal, Alliance4Palestine.QC and Independent Jewish Voices, and Bara Iyad Abuhamed. The latter faces charges of assaulting a police officer during a trespassing protest by an anti-Israel mob inside Carrefour Laval.

On March 5 an anti-Israel mob of some 100 protested in front of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal against the synagogue hosting a trade fair called The Great Israeli Real Estate Event. The day before, some 60 anti-Israel protesters barred the doors to Cummings House on Côte Ste. Catherine Rd. for four hours during an event with three Israeli speakers. Audience attendees were yelled at, spat on and shoved while the mob blocked the entrance, yelling antisemitic threats.

Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak said he was pleased with the extension. “Justice was done once again,” he said. “We’re very happy that the court recognized the urgency and importance of protecting the Jewish community. While freedom of speech and protests are part of our democratic rights, doing so while seizing a Jewish building and preventing Jews from living a free Jewish life is not acceptable in this country.” n

Judge extends injunction against anti-Israel protests Read More »

First-ever injunction issued protecting Jewish institutions from antisemitic mobs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg and

Beryl Wajsman,Editor
The Suburban

Another anti-Israel and anti-Jewish demonstration, this time outside the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, had a surprise ending as bailiffs arrived serving injunctions against the mob and dispersing it with the help of the SPVM riot squad. Some legal observers consider this precedent the first injunctive relief granted to protect Jewish institutions since the Hamas atrocities of Oct.7.

The 10-day injunction, which can be extended upon application, established the necessity of an urgent intervention and was granted by Quebec Superior Court Justice Serge Gaudet. It was filed on behalf of Federation CJA and the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue by senior partner at Spiegel Sohmer Neil Oberman against Independent Jewish Voices, Montreal4Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Alliance4Palestine.QC and Bara Iyad Abuhamed, who was arrested by Laval police for unlawful assembly and assaulting a peace officer following a Dec. 26 Boxing Day pro-Hamas demonstration within the private property of Carrefour Laval.

The legal document prevents the named organizations and individuals from protesting within 50 metres of the sidewalks bordering Federation CJA, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, the Cummings Centre, the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA, Herzliah High School and United Talmud Torah, mostly located at what’s known as the Jewish community campus in Snowdon. Federation CJA and CIJA are also considering a permanent injunction, and are also calling on the Quebec government to “prevent disturbances by enforcing laws that prohibit disruptive gatherings and face coverings in public spaces.” Community members are being encouraged to e-mail Leader.SJB@assnat.qc.ca to press for such legislation.

Oberman has over the past several months also sent legal notices to McGill and Concordia universities, and the City of Montreal, charging they have failed to effectively counter antisemitism.

Notably, after the injunction was served on the mob numbering some 150, the pro-Hamas crowd, which was protesting an Israel real estate event for which the synagogue space was rented, switched from denouncing Zionism and calling for an end to the State of Israel, to chanting “no justice, no peace, no racist police!”

The pro-Hamas protesters, unlike the previous night at Federation CJA, were not allowed by police to venture onto private property and were confined to St. Kevin west of Lemieux. They were countered by numerous Israel supporters, who sang songs and heckled the anti-Israel crowd — they stood on St. Kevin east of Lemieux and when they left, applauded the many Montreal police officers on hand for their work from 3 p.m. to after 8 p.m.

During the protest and counter-protest, the pro-Hamas side, at one point, shouted “death to Israel, death to the Jews” in Arabic, and in English, continually shouted the violence-inspiring “Viva Intifada,” and the genocidal “from the river to the sea, Palestine is almost free,” claimed Israel’s days were numbered, and said the Israel supporters had low IQs, accusing them of acting indecently and, as a result, not being real Jews. One of their group was arrested for uttering threats, police said.

Israeli supporters played music to drown out the pro-Hamas speakers, chanted “bring them home” in relation to the hostages held by Hamas since Oct.7, laughed with derision at their historical claims, called the protesters “terrorists” and danced and waved the Israeli flag, sang several songs and chanted loudly “Am Yisrael Chai!” Community leaders asked the supporters to leave at 7:30 p.m. to respect the neighbourhood, prompting the pro-Hamas side to say they left out of weakness. But the reality is they were asked to leave before the injunction was to be handed out.

Federation CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs stated that the protest represented “another day, another angry mob chanting hatred directed at Jewish Montrealers.We will not stand by while an angry mob targets, and tries to threaten and intimidate our community.”They also praised the police response, saying that the SPVM “was out in full force to ensure effective buffer zones, access to institutions and the safety of our community.”

On hand at the protest were Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak, CIJA Quebec vice-president Eta Yudin, D’Arcy McGee MNA Elisabeth Prass, Côte St. Luc councillor Dida Berku, former CSL councillor Glenn Nashen, Spanish and Portuguese Rabbi Yehoshua Ellis and Cantor Daniel Benlolo, Rabbi Reuben Poupko, Snowdon councillor Sonny Moroz, and Cantor Adam Stotland of Shaare Zion Beth-El, amongst many others. n

First-ever injunction issued protecting Jewish institutions from antisemitic mobs Read More »

Scroll to Top