Much of the world is experiencing democratic backsliding, including Israel. As Canada prepares for a federal election, and as Israelis look toward the end of the war with Hamas in Gaza, hundreds of Canadians came together this month for “Peace and Populism: How the Rise of Illiberalism Threatens Peace and Democracy,” JSpaceCanada’s spring conference, co-presented by NIFC and Canadian Friends of Peace Now. The conference brought Jewish Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders to Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto to discuss an increasingly polarized political climate and what role civil society can play in Canada, Israel, and Palestine to safeguard liberal values and promote peace and diplomacy.
See below for photos and videos from the Toronto event.
Panel discussion, with opening remarks by JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski and moderated by NIFC Executive Director Ben Murane.
Gaby Lasky, prominent Israeli human rights lawyer, peace activist, and former member of the Knesset.
Ron Gerlitz, CEO of NIFC project partner aChord: Social Psychology for Social Change.
Shahira Shalaby, Co-Executive Director of NIFC project partner The Abraham Initiatives.
Yonatan Mizrachi, co-director of Settlement Watch at the Israeli peace movement, Peace Now.