Statistics Canada: Increase in Antisemitism, Jewish Community Most Targeted by Hate Crimes in 2016

According to a Statistics Canada hate crimes report released yesterday, the Jewish community was the most targeted group in 2016, accounting for 16 per cent of all police-reported hate crimes across Canada. The report also revealed that there was an increase in antisemitic incidents, with 221 police-reported hate crimes - 148 of which took place in Ontario - against the Jewish community in 2016, up from 178 hate crimes in 2015.

"Just this past month, we have witnessed swastikas being drawn on numerous buildings and even in front of a Jewish school north of Toronto, neo-Nazi posters found on university campuses, and the words 'Heil Hitler' drawn on a university chalkboard. With the increase in extremist activity on our streets, it is more important than ever that we commit to not allowing antisemitism to fester and not allow antisemitic groups to hide behind false narratives," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo.

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Tour for Humanity Marks Fourth Visit to School in Markham

Yesterday the Tour for Humanity spent the day at a high school on the outskirts of Toronto. The visit was coordinated by the school's guidance counsellor, who has been involved with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center's (FSWC) Education Department for a number of years. 

Yesterday marked the fourth time that Tour for Humanity has been at the school, and we will be returning again in May 2018. The school ensures that as many Grade 10 History classes as possible participate in FSWC workshops, especially when they are studying World War II in the curriculum. There were five groups on the bus yesterday, all of whom participated in the Global Perspectives workshop with FSWC Educator Daniella. 

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FSWC Commends U of W Radio Station for Quick Action Taken Following Airing of Antisemitic Conspiracy Theorist

FSWC is pleased with the action a University of Winnipeg-based radio station, CKUW, has taken since it aired an episode that promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories earlier this month. The radio station has since issued an apology for welcoming and airing an interview with a guest who promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, suspended the show for six weeks, removed archived episodes of the show from the website, and in a statement acknowledged that the "programming in question was unacceptable."

Avi Benlolo stated that "allowing any type of false message to be spread on campus should not be tolerated, and the hope here is that the station and its programming committee will put measures in place to ensure this type of incident will not be repeated."

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Missed #GivingTuesday? It's never too late to support causes that matter most to you. Join the fight against antisemitism and hate by supporting Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center today.Your contributions go towards funding the Tour for Humanity, educational workshops and events, specialized training programs, advocacy work, and much more.

Click here to make a donation.

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"Bookkeeper of Auschwitz" Fit to Go to Jail, Court Rules 

Today a German court ruled that Oskar Groening - a 96-year-old former Nazi guard known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz" - is fit to serve his four-year jail term. This decision comes after Groening was sentenced to prison in 2015 for his role in the murder of 300,000 people at Auschwitz, but he did not serve his sentence due to a legal argument about his health. The court determined that based on "expert opinion," Groening "is able to serve his term despite his advanced age."  

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89-Year-Old Holocaust Denier Sentenced  to 14 Months in Prison

Ursula Haverbeck, an 89-year-old who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust - including stating that Auschwitz was only a labour camp and denying Nazi genocide of Jews - was sentenced yesterday to 14 months in prison. A German court upheld two convictions, which Haverbeck appealed, for Holocaust denial - which is a crime in Germany.

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Leaders Celebrate 70 Years Since UN Partition Plan Paved Way for Israel

Yesterday more than 600 ambassadors, diplomats, government officials and Jewish leaders gathered at the Queens Museum in New York to commemorate 70 years since the landmark UN vote in favour of partitioning Palestine into two states for Arabs and Jews - a vote that paved the way for the birth of the State of Israel in 1948. The partition vote took place on November 29, 1947, and the resolution was approved in less than three minutes with 33 votes in favour, 13 against and 10 abstentions. The six Arab nations staged a walkout in protest.

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Three Israeli Universities Ranked Among World's Top 100 Most Innovative

An annual list by Reuters that ranks 100 of the world's most innovative universities included three Israeli universities this year. Hebrew University came in the 82nd spot, Tel Aviv University in the 88th and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology landed the 89th spot. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with universities that were included in the list.

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From the Arab World

According to a news report released yesterday, Egypt and a group of Arab states have been putting pressure on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to resume peace negotiations with Israel. The report states that the reason behind pressuring the PA president is to form a regional coalition against Iran and Islamic terrorism. 

Following an attack on a mosque that killed 305 people, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has called on the country's military to restore "security and stability" to the Sinai peninsula within three months. Since 2013, hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed by IS militants in the Sinai peninsula, and dozens of people in Egypt have been killed in attacks targeting the country's Coptic Christian minority.

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Reserve Your Spot for the National Policy Conference on Holocaust Education

FSWC's National Policy Conference on Holocaust Education is less than two months away! Join us on January 27 and 28 for an innovative and impactful conference experience featuring renowned Holocaust and human rights educators and experts, in recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Conference speakers will include: Holocaust survivor and author Max Eisen, the Hon. Irwin Cotler, Museum of Tolerance Director Liebe Geft, and Wendy Lower - Acting Director of the Jack, Joseph & Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies. There will also be panel discussions on best practices in education and the future of Holocaust education.

To reserve your spot for the conference, please contact Melissa Mikel at mmikel@fswc.ca or 416-864-9735 x40.

Learn more about the National Policy Conference

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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.