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Home > Publications > WJC Report > Fall 2005 > WJC Around the World 
CANADIAN JEWISH CONGRESSFast Action in Canada
What started in the spring of 2004 as one woman’s concern about the rash of hateful incidents aimed at Jewish communities in Toronto and Montreal has turned into a major initiative founded by non-Jewish business leaders to fight anti-Semitism, in conjunction with the Canadian Jewish Congress. Elizabeth Comper was horrified by reports of anti- Semitic vandalism in Toronto and the firebombing of a Jewish school in Montreal, so she and her husband, BMO Financial Group CEO Tony Comper, launched Fighting Anti- Semitism Together, (FAST).
They recruited the Who’s Who of corporate Canada to join them, all of whom are donating time and money to help fight the spread of this dangerous hatred, despite the fact that not a single member of the group is Jewish. As Tony Comper said in a speech to the Empire Club, one of Canada’s oldest and largest speakers’ forums, “the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Canada is a crisis that must be resolved by non-Jews.” The Compers, aided by the CJC, have raised more than C$250,000 to date. The first initiative under the FAST banner is Choose Your Voice: Anti- Semitism in Canada — a resource kit for educators, developed by the CJC to teach students in grades 6-8 about the dangers of anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred. The resource kit aims to teach students about stereotyping and how to develop strategies to deal with these issues when they face them in their own lives. The materials are linked to the curriculum requirements for the province of Ontario. Choose Your Voice is being launched in Ontario in September,
and a French language version is also planned for use in Quebec.
The FAST initiative has received extensive media attention and
support, and is expected to be a great success.
Strengthening Connections with 'First Nations'This year, for the first time, a Jewish leader from the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) was invited to address the delegates at the annual gathering of the Canadian aboriginal group, Assembly of First Nations (AFN), held in northern Canada. While outlining past mutual accomplishments, CJC National President Ed Morgan expressed the need to better understand each other’s communities. Indeed, plans are underway for CJC leaders to visit First Nations communities, while CJC and AFN leaders will take a joint trip to Israel, where linkages will be made on issues such as culture, language retention and self-governance.More than three years ago, David Ahenakew, a former leader of the AFN, was arrested by the Canadian police for engaging in the willful promotion of hatred against the Jewish community. His vile remarks, which seemed to support the murder of six million Jews and suggested Jewish control of the media, were roundly condemned by First Nations leaders and Canadians from all walks of life. Very recently, Ahenakew was found guilty and his membership in the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor, was revoked. Many people wondered if these events would cause a schism between the Jewish and First Nations communities. In fact, they did just the opposite and brought the two groups closer together. Previously, Jewish and First Nations communities had worked together sporadically on issues of mutual concern but through the incident of David Ahenakew the two communities have forged a deeper connection. Ongoing ActivitiesCovering the width of the North American continent, Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) leadership has been active in combating anti-Semitism, establishing contacts with the country’s political leadership, and in organizing WJC conferences, Holocaust commemoration activities and multi-cultural and inter-religious events. CJC President Ed Morgan, a professor of law at the University of Toronto, and Bernie Farber, its CEO, as well as its Executive Vice President Manuel Prutschi, and Board of Governors’ Chair Moshe Ronen have been ceaselessly participating in such ongoing activities.
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