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Dr. Toni Zhong: A Proud FSWC Member Making a Difference
Dr. Toni Zhong has travelled the world providing burn reconstruction for women and girls who do not have access to education or basic medical needs. A member of FSWC's Senate and Doctors4Wiesenthal, Dr. Zhong told her story to 3,000 students at Freedom Day 2016 and inspires all to make a difference.Join her and thousands of others at Spirit of Hope 2018 in support of the rights and freedoms championed by FSWC.
Register for Spirit of Hope 2018
Concerns Raised Over Nomination of BDS Movement for Nobel Peace Prize
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) sent a letter yesterday to Norway's Ambassador to Canada expressing concern over a Norwegian MP's decision to nominate the anti-Israel BDS movement for a Nobel Peace Prize. In the letter, FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo stated that "boycott campaigns singling out Israel are inherently antisemitic and discriminatory" and urged Norwegian officials to condemn the MP's actions.
Hateful Graffiti Found in Toronto's Beach Neighbourhood Denounced
Yesterday FSWC denounced the antisemitic and racist graffiti discovered on a historic structure in Toronto's Beach neighbourhood. The graffiti included a swastika, the words "Hail Hitler" and anti-Black slurs, which were spray painted on the Leuty Lifeguard Station. Toronto police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Tour for Humanity Marks First Visit in Town of Perth
On Monday and Tuesday, FSWC's Tour for Humanity braved the weather in eastern Ontario to deliver workshops at a Catholic school in Perth, a small town an hour west of Ottawa. This was FSWC's first visit to Perth and the first time the Tour for Humanity has worked with the Catholic School Board of Eastern Ontario. A total of eight workshops were delivered to almost 200 students.
Through Tour for Humanity and other educational programs, FSWC's work is focused on making the world a better place every day. Your support is what makes this possible.
Reported Hate and Bias Incidents in Hamilton Increased by 18% in 2017
According to a report released by Hamilton Police Service, the city saw an 18 per cent increase in reported hate and bias incidents in 2017. While the number of hate crimes committed decreased from 15 in 2016 to five in 2017, the number of incidents with hate and bias overtones or unknown motivation went up from 100 in 2016 to 131 in 2017. Jewish people were the most-targeted religious group, with 24 incidents targeting Jewish people in 2017.
Campaign Seeks to Return Personal Items to Victims of Nazi Persecution
A new campaign has been launched by International Tracing Service (ITS) in the hopes of returning personal items to victims of Nazi persecution and their families. ITS is a complex of six buildings in Germany that hold a massive archive of millions of original documents relating to the fates of victims - including concentration camp documents, deportation lists and survivor testimonies - as well as thousands of personal items. ITS is hoping its newly launched campaign that includes outdoor exhibitions will help find the items' rightful owners.
Nearly Half of Germans Concerned About Crimes of Holocaust Repeating
A study presented in Berlin yesterday revealed Germans' relationship with the country's Nazi past. More than 1,000 people aged 16-92 were asked about their and their relatives' pasts, 17.6 per cent of whom said they had active Nazis in their families during World War II. Only one in 10 said they felt personal guilt for the Holocaust, while more than 40 per cent said they either feared or were very concerned that something like the Holocaust could happen again.
Israel May Receive Additional $200M in Funding from US in 2019
According to US President Donald Trump's fiscal year budget request, Israel may be receiving an additional $200 million in funding in 2019 with an expected total of $3.3 billion. The additional amount is reportedly meant to provide "assistance to bolster Israel's capacity to defend itself and maintain its qualitative military edge." A fact sheet released by the US State Department stated that part of the funds will go toward "prioritizing funding for a US embassy facility in Jerusalem."
From the Arab World
Despite its previous threats to cut aid to countries that voted against the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital at the UN, the US announced today that it will increase its annual financial support to Jordan as part of a new memorandum. The two countries signed the memorandum during US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Amman. Under the new agreement, US foreign assistance to Jordan will increase to $1.2 billion.
FSWC Wants to Hear from You
Passionate about an issue in the news or your community? Does it align with FSWC's mandate? Then we want to hear from you! FSWC is inviting you to submit reflections on issues that matter to you and the community. While we won't be publishing anything just yet, we will be taking all submissions into consideration for future projects. Submit reflections to aborisovsky@fswc.ca.
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