Independent Jewish Voices Waterloo Region

Such a great idea!

Join us this weekend for Jewish Diaspora Fest!

📆 Sunday, June 7
🕔 11 am to 4 PM
📍 High Park, Toronto — Picnic Area 15
(Find Us Via Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ekcDsdHmqADkTJ5N7?g_st=ic)

With Toronto’s annual Walk with Israel scheduled for Sunday morning, Jewish community members and allies opposed to Israeli occupation, apartheid, and crimes against humanity are gathering for this teach-in at High Park to learn about Jewish history and experiences centering the ethics of diaspora over nationalism.

The program for Jewish Diaspora Fest will include:

✨ Presentations and facilitated discussions on topics related to the Jewish diaspora experience, including the concept of Doikayt or “Hereness” — an ethic rooted in European Jewish tradition around building coalitions and acting in solidarity with our neighbours wherever we are.

✨ Personal experiences and family histories shared by Jewish community members from diverse backgrounds, including a reading on Jewish Baghdad from b.h. Yael and a performance from Ethan Stanislawski’s one-person show, Jew, Interrupted.

✨ A Turtle Island creation story and interactive artwork led by Jesse Wabegijig, a local Ojibway storyteller and community artist.

✨ Live music and singing, including a performance from Marching Disorder, a Toronto-based music-making collective that grows out of traditions of radical brass bands and Jewish social justice activism.

Bring a picnic blanket, something to eat and drink (or to contribute to our potluck), and whatever you need to make yourself comfortable.

We've booked a covered picnic area and plan to be there rain or shine!

This past Sunday, IJV-WR and Neighbours for Palestine WR cohosted a fundraiser for the CANADIAN Boat to Gaza / Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and it raised $3,235!

The event featured a screening of the incredible 2025 film "All That's Left of You," which is set in Palestine, and remarks from CBG's Fida Alburini and Ehab Lotayef. If you weren’t able to join us but still want to support the Flotilla, you can donate directly to the Canada Boat to Gaza (https://canadaboatgaza.org/donate) and sign their petition for sanctions on Israel (https://canadaboatgaza.org/petition).

A special thank you to Arabesque (arabesquekw.com) for their generous donation of Palestine Cola, which can be found at the restaurant and online at palestinedrinks.ca!

Mark Carney gave a speech on antisemitism in Canada yesterday at Holy Blossom synagogue in Toronto. There is a lot to pick apart in his remarks, but it's notable and important that he did not concede to the pro-Israel talking point that Palestine solidarity work in Canada is a cause of antisemitism in our country. Antisemitism is driven by right-wing actors, who now more frequently capitalize on popular outrage against Israel's ongoing war crimes to justify their pre-existing prejudices. Jewish institutions that commit themselves to justifying war crimes have lost sight of what fighting antisemitism requires - clear-eyed justice, and moral reckoning.

Independent Jewish Voices Waterloo Region stands firmly against the Walk for Israel that took place in Kitchener this past Sunday, May 31.

Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, illegally occupying and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank, and brutally attacking civilians in Lebanon. The Walk for Israel celebrated a state whose violations of human rights go against Jewish values. We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian neighbours, and do not condone this display in our city.

WR friends: On Sunday, May 31, at 1:30pm, Neighbours for Palestine WR and IJV-WR cosponsor a screening of "All That's Left of You" (https://allthatsleftofyou.com)—a 2025 film by Cherien Dabis—which traces one Palestinian family's history over seven decades of military siege and occupation.

This event is a fundraiser for Canadian Boat to Gaza: Freedom Flotilla Coalition (https://canadaboatgaza.org), some of whose members have just been abducted by the IOF on their way to Gaza. A recent FFC activist will discuss their experiences and the importance of this mission.

The screening is at a Kitchener venue that's near the ION and accessible (location shared upon registration). Admission is on a sliding scale from $15.50 to $50: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/all-thats-left-of-you-film-screening-flotilla-fundraiser

IJV will join the American Council for Judaism, Rabbis for Ceasefire, and many partner organizations for the Global Shavuot Teach-in “From the US to Palestine: Solidarity is Holy.” As the United States expands imperialist wars and Israel continues to inflict horrific violence in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran, we must recommit to the Holiness of all life.

Shavuot is traditionally observed through staying up all night studying. We will use our study to grow our solidarity through a 24 hour teach-in. Through text study, short films, songs, and other formats, our teachers from across the world will share their knowledge so we may all become more principled, learned, and committed to liberation.

Drop in for one session or stay for the whole 24 hours; all our welcome and no prior Jewish text knowledge is needed. The event will begin on May 21 at 6 PM Jerusalem/11 AM ​H​amilton and ends May 22 6 PM Jerusalem/11 AM ​H​amilton

Register at https://givebutter.com/shavuot5786​.​ More info at https://www.instagram.com/p/DXaBCxOklHw/​

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Organized by:

Rabbis for Ceasefire and The American Council for Judaism

Co-sponsored by:
Solidarity of Nations - Achvat Amim
Center for Jewish Nonviolence
IfNotNow
Tzedek Chicago
Cleveland Jewish Collective
Shel Maala
Beyt Tikkun Synagogue
Partners for Progressive Israel
Boston Workers Circle
Kehilla Community Synagogue
Christian-Jewish Allies for a Just Peace in Israel-Palestine
The Bushwick/Ridgewood Shul
Kesher Pittsburgh
Kehilla Community Synagogue
Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective
Kol Tzedek
Independent Jewish Voices Canada
Narrow Bridge Candles
This Is Not An Ulpan
V'ahavtah: A Judaism Beyond Zionism Synagogue
Jews for Tikkun Olam: Jewish social workers, therapist, spiritual leaders for social justice and Palestinian liberation
Asian Jews for Palestine
Jewish Investor Network
Tzedek Tirdof Havurah
Botzina RVA
Shleimut
Jewish Voice for Peace