On Monday, July 29, 2024, the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA) will be launching its new website. ALCCA is a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to combatting the unprecedented levels of antisemitism in Canada. Each member organization brings expertise and dedication – and a great deal of voluntarism – to our work.
Guided by five principles:
We believe in the power of working together. When Jewish communities and democratic values are at risk, we must coordinate our efforts. Otherwise, we remain ineffective.
We support the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The definition, adopted by many countries including Canada, recognizes that it is not antisemitic to criticize Israel’s government, policies or practices in a manner similar to how other countries are criticized. However, it is antisemitic to demonize Israel, the world’s only Jewish democratic state, and Zionists, who include the vast majority of Jews, without distinction.
We believe in respectful dialogue with those who disagree with us. But we reject hatred in all its ugly forms, including intimidation, harassment and the celebration of violence or barbarity.
We believe that Canadians have a duty to reject all forms of extremism. This is not just a “Jewish” issue, it is a “Canadian” issue.
We believe that protecting our children, including students in kindergarten to those in universities and colleges is our highest priority. They are entitled to embrace their Jewish identities, without fear. Their voices need to be heard and supported.
Too many Jews and their allies feel helpless in the face of pervasive, unprecedented antisemitism, hatred and extremism. They don’t know how to respond. At times, they are frustrated by perceived inaction or feel uninformed about what action is being taken or what is effective. All that must change.
The ALCCA Website
The ALCCA website is your resource; it will:
Inform and educate through detailed, accurate content
Provide action items for you to help fight antisemitism, and
Connect you to the 28 (and growing) members of our Alliance.
Jewish students. Educators. Parents. Academics. Lawyers. Doctors. Women. Muslims. Catholics. Indigenous leaders. Media monitors. Campus organizations. Places of worship. Experts in national security, criminal and immigration law, and modern antisemitism. Major Jewish NGOs. Each one is a critical part of this Alliance and together form a concerted answer to hate.
Sign up for regular reports and specific calls to action. In upcoming reports, we will share with you the important work of our members and allies. Examples will include:
Ways to get involved including recommendations on how to respond to the Toronto Police Service Board’s invitation to participate in a consultation on a new Board policy on public order
Critical analysis of and response to the University of Windsor’s recent agreements with protester/occupiers and the students’ union and ways to respond effectively to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement
Critical analysis of and response to the External Reviewer (MacDonald) Report at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), and how we can support Jewish students and educators
Ways to build respectful dialogue in an environment often poisoned by hate
A report on how Indigenous leaders have admirably spoken out about the misuse of their traditional lands to promote antisemitism and hatred
Cutting edge legal analysis of when protests become prohibited hate activity and updates on criminal cases
Effective responses to “From the River to the Sea”
About The Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.
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