Last week in this space, we reported that renowned Israeli scholar and author, Yossi Klein Halevi, counseled a large gathering in Toronto that however vulnerable we feel as a result of the events and the aftermath of “October 7”, Jews must not see ourselves as victims.
He urged us, rather, to tell the “unabashedly proud story” of the Jewish recovery from the open wound of the Shoah. “If we say our truth,” Klein Halevi predicted, “we will find our allies.”
An example of an individual who responded as an ally to the truth Jews – around the world – have been telling about “October 7” is Pastor David Larmour, primary teaching pastor and lead pastor at King Street Community Church in Oshawa. Pastor Larmour last month published an article in Substack entitled, Turning Up the Light, in which he unequivocally stated that the social climate of antisemitism was becoming so professionally and personally intolerable that he decided to advocate for his Jewish friends “and push back against hate and antisemitism.”
“This is not the Canada I grew up in, nor is it the Canada that I want for my children and future grandchildren. Watching the Pro-Hamas and anti-Zionist / antisemitic demonstrations and hearing their hate-filled rhetoric has been very unsettling. To see these hateful expressions go unaddressed by the Mayor of Toronto, and culturally affirmed, is nauseating to me. Looking away is what gives me some measure of peace, but joining the community of the indifferent is not acceptable to me!”
Pastor Larmour decided to take action. He established with rabbis in the community and has undertaken inter-communal programs with fellow Jewish and non-Jewish clergy to actually demonstrate his abhorrence for the anti-Jewish hatred that has newly found a way into Canada.
In the article, Pastor Larmour also announced “an inspiring initiative planned for June 2025, where 50 Rabbis and 50 Christian Clergy have made plans to meet for 36 hours in Toronto to seek mutual understanding and learn from one another”.
Pastor Larmour concluded his article with a strong statement of empathy and support for the Jewish community, entirely buoying to the Jewish sensibilities that have been battered for the past 18 months and more. But it is also deeply supportive and protective of the Canadian values that we deeply cherish.
“We shouldn’t have to walk alone when faced with a dangerous path! Words of consolation, expressions of solidarity, and acknowledgment of pain are all important gestures that are offered by friends who care, but being present, walking together and speaking up on behalf of others demonstrates another level of advocacy and solidarity.”
Pastor Larmour is undoubtedly the sort of ally that Klein Halevi had in mind when Jews are unafraid to say the truth of who we are and what we have achieved. His article is available at: https://catchjcp.substack.com/p/turning-up-the-light?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=rvbar&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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GAJE expects to be before the Court of Appeal in the Fall, arguing for the right to a hearing on the merits of our application for fair educational funding in Ontario. When we learn the date of the hearing, we will share it with our readers.
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
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Shabbat shalom. Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
May 9, 2025
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 