TORONTO (October 18, 2017) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) commends the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) for being responsive to community concerns regarding the Islamic History Month Resource ​Guidebook. Following in-depth conversations with FSWC regarding troubling content as well as links to resources, TDSB has  announced that it will be revising the Guidebook further by removing a link to antisemitic material. Senior Superintendent Jim Spyropoulos also assured FSWC that TDSB would continue to review the material to ensure compliance with its policies and principles of equity.

"Promoting diversity and inclusion is clearly a process that requires commitment," said President and CEO Avi Benlolo. "By posting the Guidebook online for the first time, the TDSB has shown a commitment to fully implement its Community Engagement Policy, which requires 'transparent and timely responses to stakeholder challenges' within a 'meaningful consultation process.' We look forward to continuing to work with the TDSB to provide its students and staff with powerful programming and resources within a timely process of community engagement."

FSWC is l​aunching its own resource guidebook through community consultation for Jewish Heritage Month that will be provided to school boards across Canada.

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Media Contacts: 

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

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

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Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC for latest news and organization updates

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

 Canadian Headquarters: Toronto       Branches: Los Angeles • New York • Chicago • Paris • Buenos Aires • Israel