Toronto (October 27, 2017) - Friends of Simon WiesenthalCenter (FSWC) is confident that a further challenge to the decision by CanadianFood Inspection Agency (CFIA) rejecting an individual's bid to remove Israeliwines from LCBO stores will be rejected. 

The individual's attempt tohave wines produced by two Israeli companies operating in Judea and Samaria banned from LCBO stores came to light in July when the LCBO issued a directionrequiring vendors to discontinue the importation of wines from the West Banklabelled as "Product of Israel." Following outreach by FSWC, the CFIAreversed that decision that was apparently made due to a bureaucratic decisionand found that the Israeli wines fully complied with the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement andcould continue to be sold as labelled.

An internal appeal ofthat decision brought by the same individual was rejected by the CFIA inSeptember 2017, prompting his application in Federal Court for judicial reviewfiled earlier this week.

“Weare confident that the application will be dismissed and the CFIA's findingthat there is no legal basis to blacklist Israeli products coming from east ofthe Green Line will be upheld," said Avi Benlolo, President and CEO ofFSWC. "This whole process has been one more attempt to promote the Boycott,Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish State of Israelwhich has been recognized by provincial and federal governments asantisemitic. We will continue to express our concerns to those involvedand seek intervenor status in the Federal Court matter should that beappropriate."

To arrange an interview with Avi Benlolo, please contact:

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

‍

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

__________________________________________________________________

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