Canadian Heritage committee  I don't know how much time you spend on Twitter. I spend too much time, I'm sure. If you're a Jewish person on Twitter, anti-Semitic attacks are almost a daily experience—really, truly. I feel like anti-Semitism is part of my daily life. I feel lucky, though, because I am part o

Canadian Heritage committee  If that were a by-product of this bill, it would obviously be a wonderful thing. I would welcome that. I don't see why that couldn't happen. Again, I am speaking to the outreach that would be associated with having a national Jewish heritage month. It would put the burden on the

Canadian Heritage committee  No. There's no financial implications to this bill whatsoever, nor is it anticipated that there's any federal funding required or expected. This is something that the community itself would take on.

Canadian Heritage committee  Right now, it's just Ontario that officially has a Jewish heritage month. It was important to ask that the national month be done in coordination with Ontario's month. It makes sense. There is a large Jewish community in Montreal and in Vancouver as well. There are Jewish communi

Canadian Heritage committee  Just from a logistical and practical point of view, it's true. There's probably a lot of other days and heritage months in May as well, not just the Asian and Jewish. I had a list at one point. I've now forgotten it. We'll be sharing this with other groups. That's fine. Frankly,

Canadian Heritage committee  I agree. The Jewish community is very diverse. Of course, the Ashkenazi community has dominated the culture in most places. Yes, this is an opportunity to broaden that understanding within the Jewish community itself, of itself, and how diverse it is within itself. Again, as I s

Canadian Heritage committee  I can respond to that, because you make me think of my own family on my mother's side, which settled in Niagara Falls, Ontario, when they first came to Canada as Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s. My great-grandparents and grandparents were part of the group that founded the Ni

Canadian Heritage committee  I know you're from Toronto, as am I, and as is Michael. I think we—

Canadian Heritage committee  We are the beneficiaries of very rich Jewish culture in the two cities of Montreal and Toronto, so I think the value of something like this in the dream scenario is the broader range of what is possible. I mentioned the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. I suppose it's not so much th

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon, and thank you for this opportunity to speak to your committee in support of Bill S-232, the Canadian Jewish heritage month act. I would like to thank Michael Levitt, MP for York Centre, for his role as the driving force behind this bill that h