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TDSB Will Explore ‘Multiple Meanings’ of Slogans Following Pro-Palestinian Rally by Students
In a letter to TDSB director of education Colleen Russell-Rawlins and other board officials, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said the phrases in question call for the destruction of Israel “and the expulsion and murder of the Jewish people.” The Jewish advocacy group called on Russell-Rawlins to provide “a plan of action to reassure families in our city that the TDSB is committed to upholding the rights of Jews in the TDSB system (staff, students and parents) not to be subjected to hateful propaganda while at school.”
Alberta Education Pulls Document Recommending Students Also Learn Positive Nazi Economic Policies
Following outrage from Jewish and anti-hate groups, including Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, Alberta Education pulled a guidance document recommending schools include positive material about Nazi-era German economic policies when teaching about war atrocities.
"The Nazi regime committed a genocide and killed six million Jews and millions of others. It dragged the world into the largest global armed conflict in history. In the end it destroyed its own country, so we’re left wondering what positive attributes we could find in any of that,” said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Director of Policy at FSWC, adding that FSWC appreciates the ministry responding so quickly, but questions remain.
Police Investigating Hateful Graffiti on Ottawa City Hall, Courthouse
Ottawa police's hate crime unit is investigating after hateful graffiti was found spray-painted on Ottawa City Hall as well as on the Ottawa Courthouse and its sign, including a swastika. This vandalism is just the latest in a string of recent incidents involving hateful messaging targeting Jewish people in Ottawa.
FSWC denounced the incident on social media, stating, "The swastika symbol is an attack not just on the Jewish community, but on democracy as a whole, and it has no place in Canadian society."
Survivor to Ex-Nazi Camp Guard: ‘You’ve Lived 100 Times Longer Than Baby Erika’
At nearly 93, Emil Farkas was the first witness to testify in person — and, apparently, the only Israeli survivor who will do so — at the trial of former S.S. guard Josef Schütz, who served for almost three years in the notorious Sachsenhausen Nazi concentration camp.
Poland Arrests Three Over 'Disgraceful' Antisemitic Demonstration
Three people have been arrested over an antisemitic demonstration that took place in Kalisz, Poland last week. At the demonstration, which was held on Poland's Independence Day, participants shouted antisemitic chants and also burned a copy of a medieval document that offered Jews protection and rights in Polish lands.
French Man Gets Life Sentence for Slaying 85-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor in Antisemitic Attack
A French man was brought to justice and sentenced to life in prison last week for stabbing 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll to death in her Paris apartment in 2018. The case had triggered widespread outrage and called attention to resurgent anti-Jewish sentiment in France.
86-Year-Old Crowned 'Miss Holocaust Survivor' in Israeli Pageant
Yesterday, 86-year-old Holocaust survivor Salina Steinfeld was crowned winner of Miss Holocaust Survivor, an annual Israeli beauty pageant designed to honour women who endured the horrors of the Nazi genocide.
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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