A date has been set for Ontario’s appeal of the 46-page decision by Judge Eugenia Papageorgiou that denied the province’s request to dismiss GAJE’s application seeking fairness in educational funding before it has actually been argued on its merits.
The appeal will be heard on June 11, 2024 at Osgoode Hall in Toronto.
If the appeal fails, the application proceeds to a hearing on its merits. If the appeal succeeds, GAJE will appeal.
•••
An article entitled, BBYO survey finds most Jewish high schoolers experienced in-person antisemitism since Oct. 7, appeared this week on the eJP website. Its findings document what most Jewish parents and grandparents have feared. In the post-October 7 world, intimidation of young Jews is not restricted to post-secondary school sanctums. Jewish teens at high school are also being harassed because they are Jews.
According to the article, “more than 7 in 10 Jewish high school students report experiencing antisemitic harassment either in person or online since Oct. 7, a new study conducted by BBYO found. The survey is the first of its kind to look at the impact that the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in antisemitism across the world has had on high school students.”
Matt Grossman, the CEO of BBYO, said that antisemitism is having an impact on students’ mental health and friendships and the feelings they have about going to school.
Grossman noted that “the survey — conducted in partnership with First International Resources and Impact Research between Jan. 23 and Feb. 5 — polled 1,989 public, private and day school students in ninth through 12th grades across the U.S. and Canada. It found that 71% of Jewish teens have experienced antisemitic harassment or discrimination, with 61% experiencing the bias in person, 46% experiencing it online and 36% experiencing antisemitism both online and in person. Nearly half of the students surveyed reported being harassed for wearing visibly Jewish clothing or symbols, such as Jewish camp/youth group apparel, a kippah or a Star of David. More than 40% reported that someone attempted to intimidate them for wearing or owning pro-Israel items.”
The survey’s findings are, once again, enraging. But we ought not be surprised. We ought to be resolved – more than ever – to fight back. How we fight back is by helping fashion our children into strong believers in themselves as Jews.
If GAJE’s application succeeds more families will be able to provide a Jewish education for their children. As our history has shown, that is the best – though not the only – way of building strong, self-confident, assertive, caring, community-minded Jewish men and women.
The study is available at:
•••
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit for fairness in educational funding, please click here.
For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of underwriting the costs of the lawsuit.
•••
Shabbat shalom. Am Yisrael Chai.
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
March 15, 2024
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 