1. FSWC Meets withAmbassador to Norway

OnTuesday, Presidentand CEO Avi Benlolo met with Artur Wilczynski, Ambassador to Norway andthe International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to discuss international andCanadian Holocaust education – including the various education and diversityprograms FSWC offers. Wilczynski wasgiven a tour of the Tom & Anna Koffler Tolerance Training Centre – wheredozens of students participate in workshops each week – and the educationalmaterials provided at the FSWC office.

2. Minnesota Passes Anti-BDSLegislation

FSWC commendsthe Minnesota Legislature for passingan anti-BDS bill on Monday, making Minnesota the 19th state toenact a law that stop dealings with businesses that support the antisemitic BDScampaign. The bill passed in the House with a 98-28 vote and the Senate with a58-8 vote, and it will be signed into law by Governor Dayton. Other states thathave passed anti-BDS laws include Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and NewYork.

3. FSWC Shocked to Learn That Saudi Arabia Has Been Put on UN Commission to Promote Gender Equality

The UN announced that Saudi Arabia - which currently ranks 141/144 for gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum's 2016 Global Gender Gap report - will be part of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a global intergovernmental body that promotes gender equality and empowerment of women. According to UN Watch, at least 15 of the 54 member states of the UN Economic and Social Council voted in favour of it. Numerous stories in the past have surfaced of Saudi women fleeing abuse, making this a questionable decision.

4. Israel Destroyed Hezbollah-BoundMissiles in Latest Strike in Syria

The Israeli Air Force hasrevealed that it destroyed around 100 missiles in-transit in Syria last month,which Israeli intelligence officials believe were intended to be delivered tothe Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in eastern Syria and Lebanon. TheIsraeli operation appears to have been linked to an incident in mid-March whichsaw forces loyal to Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad fireanti-aircraft missiles at Israeli military aircraft near the Israeli-Syrianborder. This revelation has been noted as a rare acknowledgment by Israeliofficials that Israel had conducted military strikes within Syria, as Israelhas long sought to stay out of the civil war raging in the country.

5. United Kingdom’s Liberal DemocratsSuspend Member for Antisemitism  

Britain’s left-wing Liberal Democrat party suspendedone of its members yesterday – reported to be 51-year-old Ashuk Ahmed – following a reportby the Daily Mail newspaper, whichuncovered antisemitic social media posts made and shared by Ahmed. Thesocial media posts from Ahmed reportedly compared Jewish people to Nazis,suggested that “Zionists” controlled “half the world”, and claimed that theBritish Labour and Conservative parties were under the control of “Zionistpaymasters.” Ahmed also appeared to accuse the Jewish people of creating theIslamic State terrorist group, writing that the group was founded by the“Jewish media and their gentile pawns.”

6. Trump Pledges to ConfrontAntisemitism at Holocaust Remembrance Event

USPresident Donald Trump promised to defeat antisemitism yesterday during aspeech delivered at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Washington D.C. Trump,who had been criticized both during and after his divisive presidentialcampaign for being slow to condemn rising antisemitism in America, vowed to“confront antisemitism” and mentioned his administration’s dedication tofighting evil. He said that “those who deny the Holocaust are complicit in it. Wemust never shrink away about telling the truth about evil in our time. We knowthat in the end, good will triumphs over evil.”  

7.FSWC at Work

Last week alone, FSWC’s educationalinitiatives impacted over 500 Canadian students, and over 50 classroom educators!FSWC educators aboard our award-winning, state-of-the-art mobile learningclassroom, the Tour for Humanity,delivered 11 workshops to over 340 students at high schools in both Toronto andBrampton, while another 160 students visited our in-office classroom, the Tom& Anna Koffler Tolerance Training Centre. Further, FSWC continues to buildrelationships with a number of school boards across Ontario – holding meetingswith five school boards last week. These meetings included representatives fromschool boards in Guelph, Burlington, and the city of Toronto. FSWC takes greatpride in delivering exceptionaleducational experiences to young Canadians and theireducators, and is committed to providing educational tools to all levels ofgovernment in order to promote our message of peace, tolerance, and unity.

PHILANTHROPYCORNER: FSWC is a designated Canadian charitableorganization that provides tax receipts for charitable contributions. Adonation to FSWC is tax deductible and provides an incredible footprint ofdirect action in our community. If you want to change lives and provide forpositive community development, consider extending your philanthropy to Friendsof Simon Wiesenthal Center this fall. 

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