Countdown to State of the Union: Only 1 Day Left!
To RSVP, contact Tracey Steyn at tsteyn@fswc.ca or 416-864-9735 ext. 21

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Swastika Found Spray Painted in Front of a Vaughan Jewish School

FSWC learned that on Monday morning a swastika was discovered spray painted on a sidewalk in front of the Kamin Education Centre, a Jewish day school in Vaughan. According to a letter sent to parents of the school, an Associated Hebrew Schools staff member found the swastika next to Atkinson Avenue, following which administration immediately notified the York Regional Police. Officers contacted the City of Vaughan to have the graffiti removed.

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FSWC Urges Puslinch Council to Support Renaming of Swastika Trail 

FSWC has sent a letter to the Township of Puslinch, urging its councillors to support residents who have been pushing for the renaming of the street Swastika Trail. "The swastika as a name and a symbol is a reminder of the evil perpetuated by the Nazis... It falls to the town leadership to send a clear message that such offensive names will not represent the community," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo.

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Tour for Humanity Provides Genocide Workshops to Students in Stratford 

The Tour for Humanity has been in Stratford for three days, providing impactful workshops to high school students. Our educator Elena spent much of her time increasing students' understanding of the 10 stages of genocide, particularly during the Holocaust and Rwandan genocide. Elena also talked about the significance of residential schools as well as the broader attitudes towards Indigenous Canadians in the recent past. She engaged in the students in a discussion in the Genocide workshops about whether they thought the concept 'cultural genocide' should apply to residential schools.

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Support FSWC's work as we continue to travel across Ontario providing Holocaust education to students through workshops and the Tour for Humanity. FSWC is a designated Canadian charitable organization, and your contributions are 100% tax-deductible.

Click here to make a donation.

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Former Army Leader During Bosnian War Convicted of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity

The former leader of the Bosnian Serb army, Ratko Mladic, was sentenced today to life in prison after he was found guilty of genocide for atrocities committed from 1992 to 1995 during the Bosnian war. He was charged with two counts of genocide and nine crimes against humanity and war crimes after being accused of orchestrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing. More than 100,000 people were killed during the war and another 2.2 million were displaced. 

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Replica of Berlin's Holocaust Memorial Built Near Far-Right Leader's Home

A political art group in Germany built a Holocaust memorial near the home of a far-right politician who had recently sparked outrage after stating history books should focus more on the German victims of World War Two and that "Germans are the only people in the world who plant a monument of shame in the heart of the capital." Overnight, 24 concrete columns were erected as a partial reconstruction of Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

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Prosecutors in Poland Open Racism Probe Into Recent Far-Right March

Polish prosecutors have opened an investigation into the far-right march that took place on Poland's Independence Day more than a week ago. Around 60,000 people participated in the march, which included white supremacist symbols and slogans. Prosecutors will focus on whether statements expressed violated laws against propagating racism, and will determine whether criminal charges should be brought.

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From the Arab World

In a televised interview on Sunday, Kuwaiti writer Abdullah Al-Hadlaq called for the recognition of the State of Israel as an "independent sovereign state" and, citing the Quran, said Israelis have the right to the land. "There is no occupation. There is a people returning to its promised land," he said. His comments have since been attacked on Arabic websites and social media.

Following urgent appeals from the UN, Saudi Arabia says it will allow aid deliveries to a rebel-held port in Yemen. A blockade of the country was tightened two weeks ago in response to a rebel missile attack on Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, from Yemen. The UN has stated that the threat of famine for millions of people is growing by the day, making the delivery of food and humanitarian materials critical.

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State of the Union Is Tomorrow!

FSWC looks forward to welcoming you to tomorrow evening's State of the Union dinner and presentation, which will begin at 6 p.m at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Toronto. Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman and Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder and Dean Rabbi Marvin Hier will engage in insightful discussions about numerous current issues facing Israel, US-Israel relations, the Middle East and much more. 

If you have not yet reserved your seat, please contact Tracey Steyn at tsteyn@fswc.ca or 416-864-9735 ext. 21.

Learn more about State of the Union

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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.