October 27, 2023 | by Barry Weisleder
Nearly one thousand people, most of whom identify as Jews, rallied on October 23 at Canada’s busiest intersection, Yonge and Bloor Streets in Toronto, to demand “Ceasefire Now” and “End the Occupation of Palestine”. Below the tall office tower that houses the Consulate of Israel, this crowd, the largest such gathering ever of the Jewish community in the city, denounced the relentless bombing of Gaza by the Zionist state. For nearly an hour, starting at 8:20 a.m., the protest organized by Independent Jewish Voices held the iconic cross road and called for an end to Israeli Apartheid, and chanted “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.”
Evidently, the major mass media did not see fit to report on this event. Nonetheless, the shift in public opinion, including among Jews, is undeniable.
It continues in the form of a rising tide of protest against the censure of pro-Palestinian Hamilton Center MPP Sarah Jama by the Doug Ford Conservative government at Queen’s Park, and the expulsion of Jama from the New Democratic Party caucus of MPPs by NDP Ontario Leader Marit Stiles. A number of prominent politicians, NDP riding associations, party members, and labour affiliates are calling on Stiles to rescind the expulsion immediately or submit to a leadership review.
