TORONTO, ON (April 13, 2017) – Friends ofSimon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) encourages Concordia University to takeimmediate action by removing the “student club” designation from participating anti-Jewishgroups. A recent example of cultural appropriation and mockery of the Jewishreligion – particularly during Passover – is intended to move the Solidarityfor Palestinian Human Rights’ (SPHR) agenda forward. 

Aposter invites students to a supposedly inclusive event for open discussions,but in reality it shamelessly uses Passover and the Jewish religion tocriticize Israel and show solidarity with Palestinians – which includes themislabeling of Israel as an apartheid state, despite it being the onlydemocracy in the Middle East.

“Whatblessings can be used to replace ‘Next year in Jerusalem’?” the poster asks.This is a libelous assertion that Jewish people should not long for theirhomeland – as they have for more than 3000 years.

“This is shameful and mocking of the Jewish religion. Noother religious group would tolerate such a debasement of its religion,” saysAvi Benlolo, President and CEO of FSWC. “The particular mockery in the poster ofhanding out sandwiches to Jewish students over Passover is outrageous.”

Whilestudent groups on campus are ready to wrongfully shame Israel, they fail tocriticize some of the world’s worst human rights violators, including theSyrian and Russian governments, ISIS – particularly following its most recentbombing of two churches in Egypt – and Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, whopublicly execute Palestinians.

EdenMoalem, a Hasbara Fellow and student at Concordia University, notified FSWC andshared her concern after seeing the poster on campus: “I found it weird thatSPHR claims they’re not an anti-Jewish group, but now they’re taking on aJewish holiday and morphing that into their agenda.”

Itis important to note that while the event claimed to invite Jewish students foropen dialogue, many Jewish students were not able to attend due to Passover,denying the opportunity for a fair discussion.

MediaContacts

Avital Borisovsky                            
Communications Associate                                          
416.864.9735 x 29                                                          
aborisovsky@fswc.ca                                                   

Atara Cadesky
Communications Associate
416.864.9735 x 30   
acadesky@fswc.ca                            

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Friends of SimonWiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is a top Jewish human rightsfoundation in Canada's organized Jewish community. It directly impactsover 100,000 people each year and 500,000+ peripherally. FSWC iscommitted to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principlesof tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacyand educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of HopeBenefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed Tour for Humanity.FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewishhuman rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles which has won twoAcademy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built inJerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Councilof Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca.