Today from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., MPs andSenators will gather in recognition of the first Jewish Heritage Month inthe Commonwealth Room (Centre Block), Parliament Hill.  They will receivethe first Jewish Heritage Month Resource Guide for communities andeducational institutions, which was created by Friends of Simon WiesenthalCenter (FSWC). Media are also invited to attend. 

FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo is available for aninterview today and can discuss:

• Importance of promoting toleranceand the importance of grassroots education
• The Jewish community, its contributionto Canada as well as interesting facts and activities, including those found inthe guidebook

 Newsrelease below

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Inaugural Canadian Jewish HeritageMonth Begins as Data Shows Hate Crimes Against JewishCommunity on The Rise

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Launches National Hands-On Teaching Tool for Canadians

Toronto (April 30, 2018) – As hate crimes against the Jewish community continue to rise in Ontario, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center is encouraging Canadians to download its new Resource Guidebook launched in time for Jewish Heritage Month. This May is the first time Jewish Heritage Month will be honoured in Canada, as recognized by the Canadian government.

The National Resource Guidebook provides a breadth of useful information, including historical timelines, biographies on renowned Jewish Canadians, and contextual background on antisemitism. It also includes a comprehensive guide to fun and interactive classroom activities.  

The Resource Guidebook is especially critical at a time when the number of hate crimes against the Jewish community continue to rise, according to data recently released from Toronto and Peel regional police and the November 2017 release of Statistics Canada’s Police-reported Hate Crime, 2016 Report.

The Toronto Police hate crime report, released in April, showed an overall increase of 28 per cent in 2017. According to the report, the Jewish community – followed by the Black, Muslim and LGBTQ communities – was the most frequently victimized. A total of 53 occurrences targeted the Jewish community, an increase of 23 per cent from 2016.

“It is disheartening and profoundly worrisome to see such a sharp increase in the number of annual hate crimes in Toronto,” said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “It was an overwhelming year for the Jewish community, as we witnessed a clear increase in the number of antisemitic hate crimes taking place.”

In Peel Region, hate crimes against the Jewish community are also on the rise. Peel Region Police released its annual hate crime report showing an overall increase in hate crimes, rising from 59 incidents in 2016 to 158 in 2017.

According to the report, “religion was the most common motivating factor” in bias-related offences in 2017. The Muslim community was the most targeted, being victimized in 57 of all reported incidents – a sharp increase year-over-year from a total of five anti-Muslim incidents in 2016.

The Jewish community was targeted 36 times in 2017, up 13 incidents from the year before and accounting for 22 per cent of all reported hate/bias crimes in the region.

These new findings combined with Statistics Canada’s police-reported hate crime data indicate that trends in hate crimes against the Jewish community continue to persist. In 2016, according to data from Statistics Canada, hate crimes against the Jewish community increased from 178 incidents to 221. Of those, Ontario saw the most significant increase compared with other provinces.

Statistics Canada also reports that people accused of religious hate crimes are most likely to be under 18 years old. In more than 22 per cent of religious hate crime incidents, young people aged 12 to 17 years old were the perpetrators.

These disturbing trends among Canadian youth further speak to the need for the Resource Guidebook to be shared in Canadian communities. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center encourages teachers to download the Resource Guidebook. This manual, written in conjunction with academic and community stakeholders, provides educators with meaningful tools for integrating Jewish-themed lesson plans into their classrooms.

“As an organization dedicated to promoting tolerance, we know firsthand the importance of grassroots education to encouraging a fair, respectful and welcoming society," said Benlolo. "We are proud to present this guidebook to help foster a greater understanding of Canadian Jewish life.”

For more information, download the Resource Guidebook or review the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Incidents Map where anitsemitic events are tracked daily.