Syrian-Lebanese activist Rawan Osman inspires Montreal crowd

PLUS: AVI students lead Solidarity Panel at UOttawa, students promote awareness of Hindu-Jewish collaboration at Concordia, and more!

Rawan Osman speaks with AVI Executive Director Daniel Koren at Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal

Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) was proud to present Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the Oldest Hatred with Syrian-Lebanese advocate Rawan Osman at Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal on Monday.

After a viewing of her new documentary Tragic Awakening, AVI Executive Director Daniel Koren led a fireside chat with Osman, who shared more about her platform, Arabs Ask, as well as how she envisions the future of the Middle East.

Allied Voices for Israel (AVI) was proud to present Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the Oldest Hatred with Syrian-Lebanese advocate Rawan Osman at Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal on Monday.

After a viewing of her new documentary Tragic Awakening, AVI Executive Director Daniel Koren led a fireside chat with Osman, who shared more about her platform, Arabs Ask, as well as how she envisions the future of the Middle East.

Montreal attendees (including our generous sponsor Eric Bissell) at our Tragic Awakening event in Montreal

Rawan Osman with our AVI Director of Quebec and our Common Ground Ambassadors Melanie Segev and Samuel Benzaquen at McGill

AVI would like to recognize Eric Bissell and the Bissell Family Foundation for sponsoring the event, as well as acknowledge our partners at the Association des Médecins Juifs du Québec (AMJQ), as well as CIJA and Federation CJA.

We would also like thank our stakeholder and lay leader Karine Toledano for helping us put this together. We couldn't have done it without you!

Earlier in the day, Osman also joined AVI, Hillel Montreal, and SSI McGill on campus at McGill University to speak with Montreal students about her experiences.

(Left to right): Katie Mbakulo, Malka Bortman, and Steven Warren

At the University of Ottawa this week, AVI Common Ground Ambassadors Katie Mbakulo, Malka Bortman, and Steven Warren led an insightful and vulnerable Student Solidarity Panel, sharing their experiences as Israel advocates on campus as Jewish and non-Jewish students.

The event was hosted in partnership with our friends at Hillel Ottawa.

AVI strongly supports McGill University’s decision this week to terminate its contractual relationship with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU).

In an email sent to students on Monday, Interim Deputy Provost condemned the SSMU for refusing to “disassociate itself” or “reject” groups that “endorse or engage in acts of vandalism, intimidation and obstruction.” 

This move is long overdue. The SSMU has repeatedly failed to take a clear and unified stance against unauthorized groups operating on campus that engage in vandalism and discrimination—tactics that have no place in a legitimate academic environment. Its refusal to explicitly reject these actions speaks volumes about the direction in which the organization has allowed itself to drift.

These actions escalated dramatically during the recent three-day strike, where students, staff, and faculty were subjected to a climate of fear and hostility. No member of an academic community should feel unsafe at their own university.

To read our full statement (in the caption), please click here. 

AVI Allyship Advisor Justin Chow at the Lipstick to Advocacy event

In Toronto, AVI Allyship Advisor Justin Chow led an AVI tabling at Emet Talks and EndJewHatred's From Lipstick to Advocacy event with beauty influencer turned online Israel advocate, Ashley Waxman Bakshi. Justin engaged attendees about allyship on campus, AVI's educational programs on Israel, and how they can get involved.

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Click the above graphic to read about the Jewish presence in Bharat (India)

At Concordia University, our Common Ground Ambassador Abhinav Deshwar has continued to explore the history of Jewish contributions to Bharat (India), outlining a story of friendship and flourishing that is emblematic of the Jewish presence in India! 🇮🇱💙🧡🇮🇳

This is the second installment of our series demonstrating the ancient connection between Hindus and Jews, spearheaded by Abhinav! AVI has also transformed Abhinav's graphics into a tabling campaign that we have utilized on campus at Concordia.

Please click here to read all about the history of Jews in India.

Click the above photo to see our Common Ground Israel trips, Ghibli-fied!

We've decided to jump on the Ghibli-style image trend by sharing some memories of our last three Common Ground trips, Ghibli-fied. 😎🇮🇱🌴

Want to find your Common Ground this summer and become an AVI Student Ambassador? Applications for our Common Ground Ambassadorship, beginning with our Common Ground trip to Israel in June, are now open. 

This program is available to college and university students across Canada who are looking to make a difference in the fight against anti-Jewish hatred on campus.

Please click here to apply but hurry as spots are limited!

To see some more of our Common Ground memories in that signature Studio Ghibli style, please click here.

Students at our glass decorating event in partnership with the OCAD Jewish Club

In anticipation of Passover, AVI teamed up with the OCAD Jewish Club to engage students at OCAD University in a glass decorating event, which was a “smashing” success!

AVI was happy to see many familiar faces, including our Common Ground Ambassadors at OCAD Shoam Kahn and Zachary Gross.

Click on the above photo to register!

On Thursday, April 10th, AVI is partnering with Hillel Montreal, Federation CJA, and CAMERA on Campus on a social media literacy session focused on navigating discussions around Israel — a space to sharpen your critical thinking in today’s information overload.

📅 Thursday, April 10

🕕 6:00PM - 8:00PM
 🍽️ Dinner provided!

Please click here to register. 

Click on the above photo to register!

Attention college and university students: On May 1st, Israel turns 77 and AVI, Hillel Ontario, and StandWithUs Canada are flying into the party of the year! 🛬🇮🇱

 Join us on May 1st in downtown Toronto for a night you won’t forget! Every ticket includes: 

🎟️ Boarding pass

🍹 Drink of choice

🥃Free shot at midnight

🕺 In-flight entertainment

🥙 Mid-flight snacks

📸 Photo booth 

Please click here to register.