1. FSWC Meets with Local MP Ali Ehsassi

Local Member of Parliament for Willowdale, Ali Ehsassi, visited the FSWC office today in Toronto to meet with Avi Benlolo, FSWC President and CEO, to discuss issues of mutual interest. FSWC provided Mr. Ehsassi with a tour of its Tolerance Training Centre, and informed him of the work FSWC has done, including educating over 200 students each day through workshops and the Tour for Humanity.

2. 'Death to Israel': Iran Holds Military Parade Showcasing New Missile Technology

Iranheld a massive military parade in Tehran yesterday that featured a largemissile display with a sign that read ‘Death to Israel’ attached to it. The parade was held as part of Iran's National Army Day celebrations, and saw troops from all branches of the Iranian military participate. Analysts have noted that the purported new missiles displayed by Iran looked very similar to those shown by North Korea during their military parade on Saturday - a display which many in the intelligence community are calling possible mock-ups, or entirely fake. 

3. Election Signs Defaced with Swastikas in BC

FSWC condemns the recent acts of vandalism that occurred in North Vancouver, BC, where election signs were vandalized and spray-painted with swastikas. Election candidates Naomi Yamamoto and Bowinn Ma posted photos of their signs to social media earlier this week. "This is not My BC...," Yamamoto tweeted with a photo of one of her signs that was spray-painted with a red swastika. "Definitely saddened to see graffiti on election signs this week. This kind of hate has no place in #NorthVan," Ma replied to Yamamoto with a similar photo.

4. Shooter in Fresno, California Shouts 'Allahu Akbar' After Killing Three Men in Hate Crime

FSWC is saddened by yesterday's racially motivated shooting that took place in Fresno, California. A man reportedlyshouted “Allahu Akbar” while being arrested by police yesterday after shootingand killing three men in what is being called a “hate crime” by the Fresno Police Department. The man, 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammed, had been wanted in connection with the murder of a motel security guard late last week, and had intended to "kill as many white people" as possible during his shooting rampage, according to Fresno police. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer told media that the man had confessed to the murders, adding "this is solely based on race, and it had nothing to do with terrorism in spite of the statement he made."

5. Israeli PM Netanyahu Slams the New York Times for Calling Palestinian Terrorist a 'Political Leader' 

IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to a controversialpiece published by the New York Times on Sunday, authored by convicted Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti, saying that "calling Barghouti a 'political leader' is like calling Assad a 'pediatrician.' They are murderers and terrorists." Barghouti - who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for the murder of Israeli civilians and a Christian monk, and has been referred to as the "architect" of the deadly second Palestinian Intifada - was called a "Palestinian leader and parliamentarian" in the byline of his New York Times piece, without any mention of his terrorist activities or his conviction for the murder of innocents.

6. Newly Released UN Documents Reveal Allies Knew About Holocaust Two Years Before Previously Assumed

FSWC learned today that a United Nations (UN) archive was recently released, revealing that Russia,the UK and the US were aware of the Holocaust as early as December 1942 - two years before they discovered concentration camps. Despite being informed that two million Jews had already been killed and another five million were at risk of being killed, the Allied Powers failed to take in refugees or help those in danger. This information comes from the tens of thousands of UN files that were smuggled out of Europe, which reveal early evidence of the Holocaust. The archive of the UN War Crimes Commission, which had not been accessible for 70 years, is to be made public for the first time this week.

7. Israel Uses New Intelligence Tools to Thwart 'Hundreds' of Terrorist Attacks, 800 Arrests Made

Israel’s intelligenceservices are reportedly using new online methods to track and thwart potentialterrorist attacks against the Jewish State, and have already prevented over 2200 imminent attacks and have arrested over 400 would-be attackers. Further, Palestinian Authority officials appear to be cooperating with their Israeli counterparts, arresting another 400 potential terrorists within the Palestinian territories in Judea. However, in a troubling development, Israel's Shin Bet has said that the new intelligence they have uncovered suggests that most of the would-be attackers are operating as "lone wolves," which makes them much harder to detect and stop than conventional terrorists operating within cells or larger organizational structures.

8. Chilean BDS Activist Calls for Chile to Ban Israeli Tourists

After being prevented from entering Israel due to Israel's new anti-BDS laws, Chilean-PalestinianBDS activist Anuar Majluf is demanding the government of Chile to ban allIsraeli tourists from visiting the South American country, telling media that "the Chilean government should act reciprocally and refuse entry to Israeli citizens who come as tourists to Chile." Majluf is notorious in Chile for his activism in support of BDS, and his frequent attempts to undermine Israeli-Chilean relations. Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, said that Majluf was denied entry to Israel as he is "a major boycott activist whose organization is trying to significantly harm Israel." 

9. FSWC at Work

ICYMI: FSWC was pleased to present at the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) Equity Conference today. There were 100 teachers from the board in attendance. FSWC presented their Equity Essentials workshop to teachers - introducing educators to the Holocaust, the work of Simon Wiesenthal and FSWC programming - and shared tips and activities for infusing Holocaust and anti-racist education into both the elementary and high school curriculum.

PHILANTHROPY CORNER

FSWC is a designated Canadian charitable organization that provides tax receipts for charitable contributions. A donation to FSWC is tax deductible and provides an incredible footprint of direct action in our community. If you want to change lives and provide for positive community development, consider extending your philanthropy to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center this spring.  

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