On Sunday, April 9th, Syvanne Avitzur and Alex Richler, two members of the NIFC New Generations Leadership Council, spoke at the weekly rally to support Israeli democracy in Toronto. The weekly rallies are organized by UnXeptable, a global movement of Israelis in the diaspora, in solidarity with the pro-democracy protests in Israel.
Syvanne and Alex both shared with the crowd their personal stories and why they care about justice, democracy, and equality in Israel.
Alex noted that the rally was taking place during Passover, and shared, “We stand here in partnership, as members of the Jewish Canadian and Israeli communities, as people who have been persecuted for millennia…We sit in community at the seder table to tell stories of persecution and eventual freedom. We stand together as people who dip our pinkies in glasses, spilling our wine because we cannot have a full cup when injustice is part of the story…We stand together as people who cannot have a full cup until everyone can – until everyone is free and safe.”
Syvanne reminded us, “As we advocate for the rights of women, the LGBT community, the rights of secular leftist Jewish Israelis, we can’t ignore the rights of Palestinians.”
UnXeptable Toronto is organizing a rally every Sunday at Nathan Phillips Square. Learn more here.