As part of the long-running “Shinshinim” program, Israeli teens spend time in schools across the Greater Toronto Area, teaching students about Jewish holidays and offering insights into contemporary Israeli culture.
The program is run by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and local members of the Jewish community.
However, the Palestinian Canadian Congress and the far-left organization Independent Jewish Voices Canada demanded that the York Region District School Board cancel the initiative. Although the school board initially leaned toward approving the visit, the UJA Federation of Toronto ultimately decided to cancel it in order to “protect the safety of the Israeli students.”
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Canada has seen a sharp rise in antisemitism and hostility toward the Jewish community. Several shootings and firebomb attacks have targeted Jewish institutions, and multiple major terror plots have been foiled - including a plan by a father and son to carry out a mass-ramming attack in Toronto using an axe and a knife.