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Police Investigating Suspected Hate-Motivated Incident Involving Armed Man at Jewish School
A Toronto man is facing five charges, including assault with a weapon, after reportedly threatening students, assaulting a staff member and yelling he wanted to kill Jews at a Toronto yeshiva. FSWC spoke out about the incident late last week.
"It is extremely troubling that a man with a weapon violently threatened people at a yeshiva and, even more disturbingly, yelled that he wanted to kill Jews," said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, FSWC's Director of Policy. Speaking to CP24, she said this incident is "very disturbing for the community," especially because it targets children, and "we are really grateful Toronto police took control of this situation fairly quickly, that they did lay charges against the perpetrator."
Israel, UAE Sign Free Trade Deal, in First with Arab State
Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a historic free trade agreement on Tuesday, the first between the Jewish state and an Arab country, in a bid to boost economic ties. Trade hit about $2.5 billion in the less than two years since the Abraham Accords were signed.
Antisemitism Suspected in Murder of Elderly Man in France
In the case of a 51-year-old man arrested for pushing his 89-year-old Jewish neighbour out of his 17th-story window in Lyon, France, the prosecutor suspects antisemitism played a role after being provided with the suspect's social media postings. This comes after several antisemitic murders in France in recent years.
Americans Are Not Paying Attention to the BDS Movement
A Pew Research Center survey released last week revealed that 84% of American adults said they have heard “not much” or “nothing at all” about the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Only 2% said they strongly support it.
New York State Lawmakers Pass Holocaust Education Bill
The New York State Senate unanimously passed a bill last week that will ensure that schools across New York are teaching students about the Holocaust. The legislation authorizes the state's Education Department to survey schools to determine if they are teaching students about the Holocaust and examine whether a school district is meeting learning standards about the Holocaust. Districts not in compliance will be required to submit a "corrective-action plan."
Margot Heuman, Who Bore Witness to the Holocaust as a Gay Woman, Dies at 94
While in Theresienstadt, a Jewish ghetto and transit camp to which she and her family were deported, Margot Heuman fell in love with a Viennese girl named Dita Neumann. They said it was their relationship that kept them alive as they were transported to Auschwitz and various other camps. Margot died on May 11 at 94, survived by her five grandchildren and one great-grandson.
German Federal Court Mulls Bid to Remove Antisemitic Relic
A German federal court will deliver its verdict later this month following a long-running dispute over the removal of a 700-year-old antisemitic statue from a church. The case went to the Federal Court of Justice after lower courts ruled in 2019 and 2020 against plaintiff Michael Duellmann, who argued the sculpture was “a defamation of and insult to the Jewish people.”
Report Antisemitism and News of Concern to FSWC
If you would like to report antisemitism or news of concern to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, please email jaime@fswc.ca.
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