On May 19, 2025, the Cotler Institute hosted its third annual Democracy Forum during Tel Aviv University’s Board of Governors events. This year’s gathering featured a keynote address by the Hon. Justice Harry LaForme, Canada’s first Indigenous appellate court justice, whose remarks are reprinted below.

The Hon. Harry S. Laforme

Before I begin my remarks, I wish to acknowledge that we are gathered together on the land HaShem promised to Abraham – the homeland of the Indigenous Jewish people.

I give greetings to you on behalf of the Chief and Council of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of which I am a proud member. I hope that we will listen and learn from each other and move forward together in a good way.

 Thank you for this honour and opportunity to speak to the Democracy Forum, the University of Tel Aviv, and a very special thank you to my good friend and mentor the Honourable Irwin Cotler. As we say in my Anishinaabe/Ojibwe language – Chi Miigwetch or Big Thank You.

To begin with, I do not speak for all Indigenous peoples in Canada, although I speak for many including my own First Nation.

In Canada, there are around 660 recognized First Nations governments or bands domiciled on reserves, as these two terms are defined by the federal legislation called the Indian Act. This Act has governed and defined Indigenous First Nations peoples’ and their rights since 1876.

An Indian reserve is typically a very small remote piece of land set aside for First Nations. Legal title is vested in Canada and set apart for First Nations use and benefit. Only registered Indians may occupy reserve land. This land should no be confused with First Nations claims to ancestral lands under Constitutional rights to Aboriginal title.

The First Nations people in Canada comprise more than 50 Indigenous Nations (like Cree, Mohawk, Anishinaabe) with 50 Indigenous languages, and the most recent census recorded a little over 1 million First Nations people. We once spoke over 500 Indigenous languages and dialects and we occupied all of Canada from coast to coast to coast since time immemorial.

I am Anishinaabe – an Ojibwe word which means “original people” or “good people”. As I said I am a proud member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation who are the descendants of the “River Credit” Mississaugas, an Anishinaabe nation. We are split into six different First Nations or Bands. Our ancestors once occupied, controlled, and exercised stewardship over approximately 3.9 million acres of lands, waters, and resources in Southern Ontario, Canada.

I was born on the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, where I was mostly raised. I was born during the time that the Indian Agent was present with absolute authority on our reserve. The Indian Agent was a federal bureaucrat who controlled virtually all aspects of our lives – from cradle to grave.

In 1969 my grandfather and uncles became politically active in response to Canada’s then White Paper policy of assimilation of Indians and I joined them as a young man. It soon became clear to me that the issues facing my people would be resolved though the law before the courts and I decided to go to law school.

When I started law school in 1974 there were 4 Indigenous lawyers in all of Canada and none of them practiced in the area of Indigenous rights because there simply was no such thing. I attended Law School at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario which at the time, referred to itself as the “Harvard of the North”.

I graduated in 1977 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1980.

Upon graduation I was hired by Osler Hoskins and Harcourt – a large law firm in Toronto – as an associate in its corporate commercial department. I think, at that time, the law firm found an Indigenous lawyer intriguing and novel. In the early 1980s I was a rare Indigenous lawyer with the many challenges that came with it. 

I am grateful to Oslers for the legal experience they gave me but one day as I looked over Lake Ontario to where my reserve was, I realized that Oslers and corporate law was not where I was meant to be. Indigenous law was in its embryonic stage and I wanted to have a voice in its development and its application to my people. After less than a year, Oslers and I parted in a good way and I began one of the first private law practices in Indigenous law.

In 1994 I was among three Indigenous people to sit as a judge on the federal trial courts throughout Canada. Then in 2004 I was appointed to sit as a judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal. I was the first Indigenous person to sit on any appellate court in Canada’s history. Indeed, I am told I was the first Indigenous person to sit on an appellate court in all of the Commonwealth. And there I sat for over 14 years as a lonely first. The colleagues I most identified with, and who best understood that I came from a different place, were my Jewish colleagues.

The Honourable Irwin Cotler was the Canadian Minister of Justice who appointed me to the Ontario Court of Appeal and it was not lost on Minister Cotler that I was the first Indigenous person to be appointed to an appellate court in Canada.

It is the practice in Canada that when a person is appointed to an appellate court, they receive a personal phone call from the Minister of Justice. In that brief conversation I asked Minister Cotler “why me”? With little hesitation he answered, “who better to know what justice is than someone who has lived their entire life with injustice”!

These were words that I took with me into the courtroom and informed my decisions as a judge. To me it meant my “lived experience” that included periods of injustice. The Honourable Irwin Cotler is one of my heroes and I am privileged to call him a friend.

I retired from the court in 2018 and returned to the practice of law and advocated for First Nations and Indigenous people.

October 7^th and its aftermath, caused me to reflect upon the deep spiritual connection and love I have for the traditional lands of my people and the cultural and traditional values we hold dear.

The sadistic and barbaric savagery Hamas perpetrated on Israelis on October 7^th continues to fill me with horror and as time passed grief and sorrow joined my horror. Many of my Jewish friends have shared with me how they feel unsafe in Canada. I am angry and deeply saddened by the tsunami of jew hatred, the rampant antisemitism in Canada and the insecurity of my friends.

Since that day I think about my many Jewish friends and how they have supported me throughout my life’s endeavours. As both a judge of the trial division court and the Ontario Court of Appeal the wisdom of my Jewish colleagues helped guide my legal reasoning and decision making, just as my unique background, I believe and hope, influenced them. 

I have come to appreciate that the story of the Jewish people has many weaving similarities to Indigenous people in Canada. For those of us that have some understanding of the impacts of history and some intellectual and historical perspective, it is clearly evident that the Jews are the Indigenous People of Israel for thousands of years.

After October 7^th I observed how in Canada, Anishinaabe culture and traditions were being appropriated by anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian demonstrators to justify the unjustifiable. It caused me to reflect on the nature of the original Indigenous/Canadian relationship at the time of first contact with European settlers.

My Anishinaabe beliefs begin with this: The Creator placed the distinct races of humankind upon Mother Earth and gifted each with unique knowledge to be used for their benefit and the benefit of all humankind.

As Anishinaabe, I try to live in accordance with my traditional values and the Seven Sacred Teachings sometimes referred to as the Seven Grandfather Teachings. They are as follows: Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth

The Creator gifted these Seven Sacred Teachings to us all so that we may learn how to live and move forward together in a good way. 

As Anishinaabe we have a deep spiritual connection to the land; to our traditional lands. Mother Earth is our first mother. We are called upon to be stewards of our traditional and treaty lands and to take action in response to what is going on within them. We are taught to pay attention to our traditional territory for issues that do not align with our values. The Creator gave us a voice and a warrior spirit to use when it comes to abuse and atrocity.

I am paying attention and I do not like what I am hearing and seeing taking place on our traditional lands today. It is all too reminiscent of the hate that emanated out of the vile and tragic Indian Residential System of Schools operated by Canada and Christian churches that persisted for decades; well over a century.

Indigenous peoples welcomed the settlers to Turtle Island – North America. Our original relationship was based upon mutual respect, honour, equality, peaceful coexistence, and the sharing of the land; its resources and wisdom. We were allies!

Treaties of Peace and Friendship were entered into that codified these intentions. They stressed peaceful and equal coexistence and were grounded in the seven sacred teachings. These treaties date back to the mid-1400s and were documented by First Nations in what are called Wampum belts or the Covenant Chain.

Notwithstanding these international instruments – which we mutually lived in accordance with for more than four centuries – in the mid-1700s, rather than adhere to these treaties and promises, Britain unilaterally decided to govern the interior of North America by its own rules. In 1763, Chief Pontiac led a coordinated attack by Indigenous groups upon British forts in the Upper Great Lakes Region and unsettled the British attempts at British reign.

The message Chief Pontiac sent to the British was: “We want a partner not a ruler.” Chief Pontiac was not trying to run Europeans out of the region but to restore the terms of alliance and treaty and restore the original relationship.

Chief Pontiac’s military successes lead to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 issued by King George III and now a part of the Constitution of Canada. It was followed by the 1764 Treaty of Niagara. Through these Treaties the original relationship was reaffirmed. The Covenant Chain was said to have been “polished.” The Indigenous people and European settlers lived in accordance with this polished Covenant Chain for another century.

I wish to note that the 1764 Treaty of Niagara – together with the Royal Proclamation – constitute a peace treaty that was entered into between the British Crown and Indigenous nations. The Treaties established a framework for coexistence that recognized Indigenous sovereignty. The Treaty of Niagara is considered a foundational document for First Nations’ relationship with the British Crown and subsequently with Canada, though it is not earnestly recognized as such today by Canada. The treaty, nevertheless, is a notable example of the British Crown’s recognition of Indigenous sovereignty in the years preceding the American Revolution.

A recent court decision in the province of Quebec has provided us with legal recognition and a contemporary meaning to the “Covenant Chain”. The Quebec Superior Court held that this Covenant Chain is a treaty that includes the right to trade and to resolve issues with the Crown through discussion. The court found that this treaty is a diplomatic peace and friendship alliance with a conflict-resolution procedure protected by section 35 of Canada’s Constitution Act, 1982.

And finally, the court found that the parties – Indigenous people and Canada – must meet their obligations under the Covenant Chain through meaningful discussion. This decision will now work its way up to our Supreme Court because nothing comes easy for us.

Returning then to the evolution of the Indigenous/Canadian relationship. Tragically, in the early to mid-1800s, Canada – now the successor to Britain – felt secure enough in its numeric superiority to Indigenous people to ignore the treaties and alliances with them and abandon completely the original relationship. Canada assumed the responsibilities of governing itself pursuant to the British North America Act (BNA Act) – now the Constitution Act.

The BNA Act was the law passed by the British Parliament in 1867 that created the Dominion of Canada. Under this Act the Parliament of Canada was provided with exclusive legislative authority over “Indians, and lands reserved for the Indians” – Section 91(24). This means the federal government has the exclusive power to create laws regarding First Nations people, their lands, and related matters – as proclaimed by our judiciary. Racism against Indigenous people is now entrenched in the Canadian constitution.

This brought about the Indian Act which has governed First Nations people’s lives from cradle to grave – and still does to this day, even with many amendments. The Indian Act has historically shaped federal policies and legislation concerning Indigenous peoples, and its interpretation has been subject to ongoing debate and legal challenges.

Canada could have chosen to interpret and apply section 91(24) of the BNA in a manner that honoured the Treaties of Peace and Friendship and benefited Indigenous people but instead it interpreted and applied it in a way that marginalized, disenfranchised and enfeebled Indigenous people and made them “wards of the Crown”.

Section 91(24) of the BNA and the Indian Act marked the beginning of the end of Indigenous autonomy and the destruction of the original relationship. The fight to have Canada restore and return to the original relationship continues to this day.

For example, “Indian Status” refers to a specific legal identity of an Indigenous First Nations person in Canada. With the creation of the Indian Act, Canada developed criteria for who would be legally considered an Indian, which again continues. Indeed, the apartheid laws introduced by South African governments were influenced by and borrowed from laws introduced in Canada. Colonization, the reserve system, the Indian Act, the pass system and the introduction of Indian agents — all were put in place by Canada. Some suggest Canada’s policies for dealing with First Nation people were adopted by Nazi Germany.

Canada had developed policies and laws that disenfranchised, oppressed, and marginalized Indigenous peoples as exemplified by the Indian Residential School System which I will talk about later. In addition, there is the common law adoption of the racist and fictional Doctrine of Discovery that permitted – among other things – the unlawful acquisition of all Indigenous land. Through all of this, Indigenous peoples were made “wards of the state”. We were no longer the trusted allies. Rather, we now faced assimilation and cultural genocide.

It is important to understand thatthe Doctrine of Discovery was originally laid out in a series of papal “bulls” – or Catholic decrees or aspirations, not laws. The first papal bull was issued in 1452. These papal bulls purported to give permission to European princes/colonial powers, such as Spain and Portugal, to seize lands and subjugate people in the “New World,” as long as people on the lands were not Christians.

In March 2023 the Vatican repudiated those decrees, saying the “Doctrine of Discovery” that was used to justify “snuffing out” Indigenous people’s culture and livelihoods is not part of the Catholic faith.

But indeed, it was until 2023, and while the Supreme Court of Canada has not explicitly “repudiated” this Doctrine, it continues to be a subject of legal and moral debate in Canada, particularly in cases involving Indigenous land rights. It is important to note that Canadian courts used to refer to and rely upon the Doctrine of Discovery. Canadian courts have moved way from that but now are referring to it as the “assertion of Crown Sovereignty” – whatever that may mean.  

We, the Indigenous people of Canada, continue to live with its dire consequences each day because the Doctrine of Discovery has successfully done its damage – it purportedly legitimized the taking of all our land and it is incorporated into Canada’s jurisprudence.

Before continuing I will briefly discuss Indian Residential Schools. For a period of more than 150 years – beginning in 1831 and continuing until 1997 – First Nations children were taken from their families and communities to attend residential schools, which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned.

The first church-run Indian Residential School was opened, as I said, in 1831. By the 1880s, the federal government had adopted an official policy of funding residential schools across Canada. The explicit intent was to separate these children from their families and cultures – to “kill the Indian in the child”. In 1920, the Indian Act made attendance at Indian Residential Schools compulsory for status Indigenous children between the ages of 7 and 15. It was a crime for Indigenous parents to keep their children home or hide them from authorities seeking their apprehension and placement in those schools.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (the “TRC”) – in its final report to Canada released in December 2015 – concluded that residential schools were “a systematic, government sponsored attempt to destroy Indigenous cultures and languages and to assimilate them so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples.” The TRC characterized this intent as “cultural genocide.”

The schools were often underfunded and overcrowded. The quality of education was substandard. Children were harshly punished for speaking their own languages. Staff were never held accountable for how they treated our children.

We know that thousands of students suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse at residential schools. All suffered from loneliness and a longing to be home with their families. The schools severely harmed the children, their families, and their communities. Children were deprived of healthy examples of love and respect. The distinct cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems of First Nations peoples were eroded by this forced assimilation. The damages inflicted by Residential Schools – as you can imagine –continue to this day.

In 1910, Canada’s Deputy Superintendent General, Department of Indian Affairs, Duncan Campbell Scott, responding to the appalling high death rate of children in Indian Residential Schools, unequivocally stated, “this alone does not justify a change in the policy of this Department, which is geared towards the final solution of our Indian problem.”^[1] As many will no doubt recall, the Nazis aggressively deployed the term “final solution” in connection with Jews all over Europe.

The phrase – final solution – that Canada used in the 1910s in connection with Indian Residential Schools; that the Nazis used during WWII; and was used in the South African apartheid regime since the mid-1940s – has been cleverly adapted and utilized once again.

Any Indigenous person and non-Indigenous Canadian aware of our shared history should shudder to hear it chanted on our streets and in our communities. As Anishinaabe, the term, in all of its iterations, is offensive, hateful and racist. It takes us back to a dark chapter in our shared history marked by the death of more than 6,000 Indigenous children and the multi-generational psychological harm to more than 150,000 Indigenous people. It sadly brings to mind the tragic loss of 6 million Jews across Europe during, and in the period leading up to, the Holocaust.

Anyone with knowledge of the history of Israel and the Jewish people should be horrified to hear it chanted in Canada and elsewhere in the world. 

The calls for the death of Jewish people are unequivocally anathema to the Seven Sacred Teachings. Exclusion, bigotry, harassment, antisemitism, lawlessness, and hate are being permitted on and throughout our traditional and Treaty Lands. All of which is completely contrary to The Seven Sacred Teachings.

As Anishinaabe, I am deeply troubled by the expressions of hatred against Jews and Zionists, and the willful, disappointing and overt ignorance, fueled by misinformation coming from educational institutions and broader society – Ignorance about the current reconciliation efforts of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Ignorance about our shared history and the promise and intentions of our first and existing treaties and our original relationship.

And how quickly the sadistic savagery of Hamas’ invasion of Israel and its promises to repeat October 7th again and again and again are so casually forgotten. A character flaw for many that we First Nations people experience far too often.

Erroneous false narratives are coming out of universities about current reconciliation efforts led by Indigenous peoples to justify divisive hateful conduct that overwhelmingly targets and isolates Jewish and Zionist Canadians.

Some have suggested correlations between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East and the reconciliation work led by First Nations here in Canada. I hear the words “colonizer”, “settler” and “decolonize” to justify terror, violence, kidnapping, rape, targeted civilian massacres. These words are used to assert revolutionary violence “by any means necessary” and that “all forms of resistance” are justified.

I unequivocally reject these assertions and any allyship with those who hold such views. Those values are abhorrent to the Sacred Teachings and expressly contrary to the original founding of Canada. It is important to recognize that Canada is an admitted settler colonial nation.

Anti-Israel pro-Palestinian supporters are in violation of the Treaties with Indigenous peoples and Canada as a party, and The Seven Sacred Teachings. Allegedly they seek to resolve a crisis in the Middle East by means that are completely at odds with Indigenous peoples, the Treaties, our Sacred Teachings, and our relationship with Canada.

Equally dreadful are the measures that target Jewish and Zionist Canadians – people who are welcome on our Treaty Lands and are deserving of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Canadians.

Our Land, the Treaties, our values, and our hospitality are being abused and pirated by treaty scofflaws. Leaders of universities, government, and law enforcement – all of which are Treaty Partners – are knowingly allowing it to happen.

As an Anishinaabe Zionist I am being made to feel unwelcome on my Treaty Lands by anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian treaty violators who self-describe as part of the current colonial settler regime that marginalizes and oppresses Indigenous peoples – me. They should examine the illogic of their own activities on my ancestral and Treaty Lands.

On November 7, 2024 my spouse, Janice, and I were privileged to be a part of the Spirit of Hope Gala hosted by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal – a powerful gathering of diverse communities brought together by their shared humanity and opposition to Jew hatred. We left the event infused with hope and inspired by fellow Canadians.

And then came Amsterdam. Man’s inhumanity to man – on full display. Amsterdam revealed the falsity of assertions that “Intifada revolution” are benign or peaceful calls for change. Hamas publicly committed to repeat October 7^th over and over and over again. In Amsterdam this hateful promise was kept. And the terrorist promise is played out on our streets and in our communities in Canada. Following Amsterdam Hamas delivered on its promise in Montreal, Quebec.

Assertions of allyship with Anishinaabe and Indigenous People were revealed as lies by the September 18^th hijacking of the Toronto District School Board “Grassy Narrows” First Nation field trip by anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

The purpose of this field trip was to educate students (grade 3 to 12) about the suffering of “Grassy Narrows” members from decades of mercury pollution in their water system. This long-standing tragic piece of Indigenous suffering was treated as irrelevant and used to advance someone else’s dogma – anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian false narratives about Israel and Jewish Canadians. This was to me, malevolent beyond words.

For several hours Canadian children were removed from the care of their parents and used once again, to promote demagoguery – to advance the ideology of the anti-Israel pro-Palestinian demonstrators. And to use youthful students; our children is unforgiveable. The first time we saw the ideologically driven abuse of children was when Indigenous children were used as a tool to destroy the culture, the way of life, and the very existence of Indigenous people.

Remember how our children were stolen from us and placed in Indian Residential Schools – to “kill the Indian in the child.” In those institutions – in addition to what I spoke of earlier – our children were the subjects of medical experimentation, starvation, forced marriage, forced labour, forced sterilization. Our children not only lost their families, their hair but their names – some which were replaced by numbers tattooed on their skin. Many of our children died and were tossed into unmarked graves. Our people are still searching for the bodies of our stolen children so that they may be buried with honour in accordance with our spiritual beliefs. In other words – to bring them home.

My Jewish friends and their allies are advocating that those charged with the public safety enforce existing laws to respond to the tsunami of antisemitism. They are diligently developing lawfare strategies but unfortunately, they are unaware, in my view, of the opportunity to advance novel legal arguments based on the Covenant Chain that I discussed earlier. The Covenant Chain is supported by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP.) The Supreme Court of Canada has held UNDRIP to be part of Canadian domestic law.

As often as antisemitism is explained I still find it difficult to understand. However, I acknowledge its vile existence.

The Islamist strategists correctly believed that their ideologically driven false narratives appropriating Indigenous social justice language would resonate and gain traction with the academically ignorant and the academically sinister in Canada – after all Canada is a self-admitted colonial settler state.

The Islamist extremists are weaponizing Indigenous culture, our shared history and the reconciliation efforts lead by Indigenous people in Canada against Jewish Canadians, Zionists, their allies and Israel.

The Islamist extremists call upon Indigenous values and culture… so we, their opponents, should look to the law – the law as represented by the Covenant Chain and the Treaties that are grounded in Canada’s Constitution to combat their hateful false ideology.

I repeat the Treaties of Peace and Friendship are binding on all people in Canada. We are all treaty partners. They bind the antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian individuals who hijack Indigenous tradition and Indigenous led reconciliation efforts to advance their false narratives and ideology of hate.

I believe consideration should be given to the development of lawfare strategies utilizing the Treaties; the Covenant Chain and enforcing them against these treaty scofflaws.

I repeat, these Treaties predate Canada and they continue to have legal force and effect today. They bind Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada. It would be incorrect, in my view, to suggest that only an Indigenous person has standing to assert them. During these consequential times bold creativity is called for. These would be novel legal arguments but… Fight falsehood with truth… Fight fire with fire.

My Jewish sisters and brothers – you are not alone. I stand with you in solidarity and with immense pride. Hope and trust are very much alive as we journey together on a path of allyship and friendship. You, just as we, have been at these crossroads before and survived, vibrant and steadfast. I have no doubt you will do so again.

Miigwetch. Shalom. Am Yisrael Chai.

The Honourable Harry S. LaForme OC, IPC

Tel Aviv Israel – May 19, 2025

[1] Dept of Indian Affairs Supt D.C. Scott to B.C. Indian Agent-Gen. Maj D. McKay, DIA Archives, RG 1-Series 12 April 1910

On Sunday, May 11, the Irwin Cotler Institute held its Annual Strategic Workshop for members of the Israel-based diplomatic corps. From Egypt to Sweden, Slovenia to Kenya, Nepal to Hungary, Finland to Singapore, the United Kingdom to Uganda, Spain to the Philippines, and more than 10 other countries – dozens of ambassadors, consul generals and other diplomats attended the informative and much-praised seminar discussing regional, Jewish and Israel issues. Dr. Carl Yonker, Academic Director of the Cotler Institute, headed the organizing committee of the workshop, which was co-organized and moderated by Mr. Antonio Pena, Irwin Cotler Fellow 2024-2025.

Mr. Val Simon Roque, the Philippines’ Consul General, stated: “The workshop included scholars whose insights are extremely valuable for us in order to understand the region. Many of us diplomats are preoccupied with so much administrative work, so it is important to hear from scholars who devote their time and energy to studying strategic issues.”

Nepalese Ambassador to Israel, Prof. Dhan Prasad Pandit, noted: “The workshop highlighted questions about democracy that everyone around the world should be discussing.”

The workshop opened with greetings from TAU President, Prof. Ariel Porat, and Prof. Irwin Cotler, former Justice Minister of Canada. Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Cotler Institute, offered introductory remarks.

In the first session, Dr. Ofir Winter analyzed how signs of October 7 were  present – and ignored – in  Yahya Sinwar’s literary writings in the 1990s. Dr. Abed Kanaaneh examined Syria and Lebanon in the current post-Assad era. Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss closed the session with an exploration of Turkey’s rising global influence, its regional ambitions, and the potential for conflict with Israel.

In the second session, Mr. Dan Meridor, Israel’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Intelligence Minister, outlined the historical evolution of Israel’s defense doctrine, from conventional, inter-state threats to modern, asymmetric warfare against terror and guerilla tactics, emphasizing the need for adaptable strategies. Ms. Mirit Guetta compared Islamic concepts of war with Western international law, particularly around the ethics of warfare and the use of human shields as found in the Quran. Prof. Shavit explored whether the two-state solution is still viable – and explained how creative new thinking can, perhaps, make it so.

The third session of the workshop explored the Jewish world. Prof. Cotler discussed the state of present-day antisemitism. He explained that antisemitism is the longest and most global of hatreds, is conspiratorial in nature, and has the ability to shapeshift and frame Jews as the antithesis to the ethos of the time. He emphasized the urgency for concrete government actions against its global resurgence. Dr. Yonker analyzed the worldwide rise of antisemitism post-October 7. His data displayed that this antisemitic wave did not grow gradually as the war in Gaza intensified, but rather reached its peak immediately after October 7, when Israel seemed weak and vulnerable. Finally, Prof. Dina Porat addressed the difficulty of teaching historical atrocities accurately.

The final session of the workshop focused on Israeli society. Dr. Sara Zalcberg discussed Israel’s Haredi community, including its rapid growth, complicated encounters with modernity and tensions with mainstream Zionist Israeli society. Dr. Yonker explored the Christians of Israel, highlighting their educational and economic successes amidst societal challenges. Finally, Prof. Shavit discussed the findings of his most recent book, Islamists in a Zionist Coalition (Rutgers University Press, 2025) on the roots of the pragmatism displayed by The Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

To watch the full recording of the workshop:

Session I

Session II

Session III

Session IV

From April 15-20, Head of the Irwin Cotler Institute, Prof. Uriya Shavit, and Irwin Cotler Fellow for 2024-2025, Antonio Pena, traveled to Uzbekistan, for a series of meetings and events aimed at enhancing the academic and cultural relations between Israel and Uzbekistan, learning about the situation of the Jewish communities in Tashkent and Buchara, and briefing Uzbek officials on topical issues.

The visit was initiated and organized by Israel’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Gideon Lustig, who described it as a great success.

In Tashkent, the Cotler Institute delegation held meetings at The Center for Islamic Civilization (CIC), The International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), and the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS). Ambassador Lustig and Prof. Shavit explored with their hosts potential future academic collaborations and joint academic initiatives, while Mr. Pena presented The Irwin Cotler Fellowship Program as a key initiative, offering scholarships, leadership training, educational visits to Israel, and human rights engagement opportunities for Uzbek students.

Prof. Shavit and Mr. Pena also met with Arkadiy Isakharov, the leader of the thousand-person-strong Jewish community in Tashkent and chairman of the Tero Synagogue, one of two active Bukharian synagogues in the capital. In their discussion, Mr. Isakharov informed of plans for a new synagogue complex that will house museums for the Bukharian and Ashkenazi Jewish communities. He noted that when in November 2024 an antisemitic graffiti was drawn on the walls of the synagogue, the authorities arrested the offender within 24 hours.

In Tashkent, Prof. Shavit and Mr. Pena also met with the leading Uzbek journalist, blogger and Producer Nikita Makarenko, and discussed, among other topical issues, online radicalization and racism and the means to fight this phenomenon. 

Following their time in Tashkent, Prof. Shavit and Mr. Pena traveled to Samarakand and Bukhara. In Bukhara, the ancient city along the Silk Road trade route, major medieval center of Islamic theology and culture, and once home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, they met with Rafael Elnatanov, the Chairman of the city’s Jewish community. Elnatanov shared with them the rich history of Bukharan Jews and highlighted the importance of preserving the community’s heritage and assisting those in need. He also observed that, while precuations have been taken, no local incidents of antisemitism have been reported since the October 7 attack, and noted the vital role his community plays as a bridge between Uzbekistan and Israel.

In April, Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Institute, and Dr. Carl Yonker, the Institute’s Academic Director, spoke with dozens of educators and students in India and the United States.

Over the Passover holiday, Dr. Yonker spoke to several dozen teachers and students in the social and historical studies department at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. During his visit to his alma mater, Dr. Yonker addressed the current situation in Israel and its security challenges in Gaza and the region, the diversity of Israeli society, and his experience living in Israel. The thoughtful and insightful questions posed by students and teachers following his lecture led to an engaging and interesting discussion on the topics addressed.

Earlier in the month, Prof. Shavit spoke to a group of over 70 students and faculty from the departments of political science, international relations, and history at the Imperial College – Bargarh in the Odisha state of India. Prof. Shavit’s lecture, delivered via Zoom, discussed a range of issues related to the current geopolitical situation in Israel, addressing the war in Gaza, Hamas’ genocidal ideology, the state of the Israeli economy, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and Israel-India bilateral relations.

The lecture was organized by Mr. Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan, who studied in Tel Aviv University’s MA program in Security and Diplomacy in 2017-2018. Mr. Pradhan reflected on his time in Israel as a life-changing experience, fondly remembering his visits to Timna, the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim, and the Mahmoudiya mosque in Yafo.

Representing TAU’s Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice on behalf of the State of Israel, Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Institute, gave an address at the annual joint International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Rwanda. The ceremony was organized by the Embassy of the State of Israel in Rwanda, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Government of Rwanda, and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. In his address, Prof. Shavit noted the beauty of Rwanda, its rapid development, the kindness of its people, and the strong ties it established with Israel. He spoke about the human capacity to commit evil and analyzed the reason for the proliferation of hate speech, racism, and antisemitism in the world today. He also spoke about the essentiality of defeating the annihilationist terror organization Hamas for the accomplishment of peace in the Middle East.

Other addresses at the ceremony were delivered by Dr. Felix Klein, German Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism,

Ambassador Heike Uta Dettmann, Germany’s Ambassador to Rwanda, and Ambassador Einat Weiss, Israel’s Ambassador to Rwanda. The guest of honor was Dr. Jean-Damascene Bizimana, Rwanda’s Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement.

Prior to the ceremony, Dr. Carl Yonker, Academic Director of the Institute, spoke with a dozen university students about online hatred, why it has grown more widespread, its detrimental impacts on individuals and l societies, and ways to combat it. He encouraged them to be proactive in fighting back against online hate, reporting hate content when they see it, countering false narratives of genocide denial, and supporting those who are targeted by hate speech.

Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker also met with Mr. Freddy Mutanguha, CEO of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and Mr. Honore Gatera, Director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where they discussed Rwanda’s history and ways memorials and museums can effectively preserve the memories of the Holocaust, the Tutsi Genocide and other genocides.

Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker shared their impressions of their visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum located in the Rwandan Parliament Building. Together, the two museums relate the history of racial incitement and violence against the Tutsis prior to the genocide, how the genocide against the Tutsis was perpetrated, how the genocide was stopped, and reconciliation and rebuilding efforts. Both museums left a lasting impression, revealing the utter brutality and inhumanity of the perpetrators who tortured and slaughtered their neighbors – men, women, and children.

The day after the ceremony, Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker traveled south to the city of Huye to participate in a panel on the culture and practice of remembrance organized by the University of Rwanda’s School of Governance, Development, and Society, together with the Israeli and German embassies in Rwanda. The panel, which also included German Federal Government Commissioner Dr. Klein and University of Rwanda researcher Dr. Eric Ndushabandi, addressed an audience of two hundred students, instructors, and professors at the university on the culture and practice of remembrance.

Prof. Shavit noted that the Holocaust demonstrates that education alone is no guarantee for moral action. He advised the students that they should not learn about the Holocaust from Hollywood movies or Netflix. Instead, they should read books, watch documentaries and obtain knowledge through dedicated learning. Prof. Shavit also emphasized the need not to reduce Jewish history to the Holocaust and think of Jews only as victims, but rather to recognize the incredible cultural and scientific contributions Jews have made throughout history. He stated, “Though Jews are only 1 in 400 of humanity at large, Jews have won 1 in 4 Nobel Prizes in the sciences.”

In his presentation, Dr. Yonker noted the importance of remembrance and education so that students and others are equipped and capable of countering false narratives of genocide denial and hate speech when they appear online and can warn of the danger of such speech and its harmful implications.

In addition, Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker met with the leadership of Mount Kigali University to discuss and explore opportunities for academic cooperation and exchanges with Tel Aviv University.

Thanks to the organizers, Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker were also able to experience Rwanda and learn about its history, including a visit to the King’s Palace in Nyzana, with modest royal thatched canopy dwelling and its majestic heard of long-horned Inyambo cattle, from which Rwandan kings rule from the 15^th century until 1962.

In an exceptional show of solidarity, on September 25th, four senior members of the Portuguese parliament, representing the four main political parties and 90 percent of the Portuguese political landscape, attended an event initiated by a 2023-2024 Irwin Cotler Fellow, João Reis, and organized by the Irwin Cotler Institute and the Lisbon Jewish Community, in the courtyard of the Shaaré Tikvah Synagogue in Lisbon, entitled “Antisemitism: A Fight without Borders That Calls on Everyone.”

The event, packed to the brim, was attended by a number of other senior officials, including a personal representative of the Portuguese Chief of Staff, and Ambassador Manuela Franco, National Coordinator of the European Strategy to Fight Antisemitism and Promote Jewish Life.

The four members of parliament, MP Pedro Frazão (Chega Party), MP Pedro Delgado Alves (Socialist Party), MP Rodrigo Saraiva (Deputy Speaker of Parliament – Liberal Party), and MP Alexandre Poço (Social Democratic Party), addressed the importance of the IHRA definition and the need for a zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism. As representatives of rival factions, their joint presence at the event sent a powerful message of commitment.

Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Cotler Institute, noted that Portugal’s peaceful revolution of April 25, 1974, charted the way for what political scientists term as “the third wave of democratization” that swept the world until the late 1990s and is now in alarming retreat. He elaborated on the reasons for the recent global rise in antisemitism attacks, as well as urged participants to read the Charter of Hamas for themselves, noting that those who wish to advance peace in the region should be the first to demand the total, unmitigated defeat of Hamas.

Dr. Carl Yonker, Academic Director of the Institute, spoke about online hatred and presented an operational framework for combatting the phenomenon.

João Reis, a 2023-2024 Cotler Fellow, shared about his experience as an international student in Israel following October 7.

David Botelho, President of the Jewish Community in Lisbon, argued in his speech that Jews in Portugal enjoy good cooperation with homeland security, which helps keep antisemitic incidents at a very low level.

Jose Eduardo Vera Cruz Jardim, President of the Commission for Religious Freedom, offered closing remarks.

Following the event, the MPs and all other guest enjoyed a visit to the synagogue, in which Joao Oliviera, head of the board of the Jewish Community, provided brief explanations about Jewish traditions.

A day before the event, Prof. Shavit gave an interview on the current situation in the Middle East to Portugal’s national news agency, that was syndicated to several Portuguese language media. Separately, the Cotler Institute team met with the leaders of the community to learn about its current situation and plans.  

In July 2024, The Irwin Cotler Institute led a ten-day series of seminars and public lectures with senior officials as well as with members of the Jewish communities in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand. Since October 7, New Zealand has witnessed a strong public anti-Israel sentiment, and a rise in the number of antisemitic incidents.

Senior members of the Jewish communities hailed the lectures and seminars as exceptionally empowering and informative, and noted that the tour raised awareness among government agencies about the reality of antisemitism and helped establish new channels for communication and cooperation with the government.

The tour was initiated by Markus McCraith, Irwin Cotler fellow in the 2023-24 cohort.

The tour began on July 23, 2024. The Irwin Cotler Institute, in partnership with the New Zealand Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the Astor Foundation, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Jewish Council, delivered a seminar addressing the topic of ‘Confronting Contemporary Hate’. The event was held at the esteemed Public Trust Hall in Wellington, New Zealand, with over 70 people in attendance. Participants included officials from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the New Zealand Police, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Victoria University of Wellington, the Human Rights Commission, the New Zealand Law Commission, the Jewish community, the City Council, and more. Additionally, the US Ambassador to New Zealand, Tom Udall, and his wife, Jill Cooper, were in attendance.

The event began with remarks from event host Dr. Giacomo Lichtner, (Associate Professor of History at Victoria University of Wellington and Deputy Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand), who introduced the audience to the mission of the Irwin Cotler Institute in advancing human rights, justice, and democracy, and in combating racism and antisemitism. Dr. Lichtner hailed the contribution of Prof. Irwin Cotler to the causes of justice and equality and the fight against antisemitism and racism at large across the world.

His opening words were followed by remarks from Mervin Singham, the Chief Executive of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, who spoke passionately about the positive contribution of Jews to New Zealand society but also the worrying trends of rising antisemitism, particularly after October 7, emphasizing the need to combat it through genuine human connection. He encouraged Jews in New Zealand to express their identity boldly.

Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Institute, delivered the event’s first lecture, ‘Hate: Why is it Spreading in Our World?’, reflecting on the causes and manifestations of contemporary hate, and what can be done about it. This was followed by Dr. Carl Yonker’s lecture, ‘Online Hatred and the Means to Combat It’, where he delved into the factors contributing to the rise of online hate. Following a morning tea and mix and mingle, Dr. Yonker, the Academic Director of the Institute, delivered his second lecture, ‘Contemporary Antisemitism in Western Societies’, in which he explained what contemporary antisemitism looks like and where it is coming from, with an emphasis on the explosion of antisemitism around the world, including in New Zealand, after October 7. Practical steps were given on how to combat it. The event ended with a Q&A session, in which much engaging discussion took place between the guests and Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker.

Other seminars and public lectures followed through the next eight days. The Holocaust Center of

New Zealand hosted the Institute for a seminar for 23 teachers and educators across the country on online hate and addressing antisemitism in schools. After speaking on these topics, Dr. Carl Yonker fielded questions from the participants and heard about their experiences and challenges as educators in New Zealand in addressing antisemitism in their classrooms and in their schools following October 7.

The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand in Wellington kindly provided their showroom for a public lecture by Prof. Uriya Shavit, organized in partnership with the New Zealand Jewish Council and the Astor Foundation. Attendees were largely from the Wellington Jewish community. Prof. Shavit spoke about the importance of reading the Hamas Charter to understand first-hand the nature of the war Israel is fighting, and explained why it is essential for the war to end with the total elimination of Hamas. He also spoke about the challenges of defining Jewish identity in the 21^st century. The discussion and debates that followed demonstrated the diversity within the small Wellington community.

In Auckland, the Irwin Cotler Institute delivered a seminar and hosted a discussion on the topic of ‘Challenges of Jewish Identity in the 21st Century’ at the Beth Shalom Synagogue. Deborah Hart, chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, opened the event and moderated throughout. The New Zealand Jewish Council and the Astor Foundation took part in the organization of the event. Forty-five people from the Auckland Jewish community came in person, with several dozen attending online.

Prof. Shavit delivered the event’s first lecture, on ‘Israel, the Middle East, and Jewish Communities after October 7’, while Dr. Carl Yonker delivered the second lecture on ‘Online Hate: Trends and Counter-Measures’. This was followed by a very engaging Q&A and discussion, where some in the audience members had questions and comments related to Jewish identity, Israel, combating antisemitism, and more.

In the same venue, Prof. Shavit, Dr. Yonker, and New Zealand Fellow Markus McCraith held a roundtable discussion with members of the New Zealand branch of the Australasian Union for Jewish Students. Participants shared their experiences as New Zealand Jews generally, and on university campuses specifically, with a keen interest to hear from the Cotler Institute ways in which they can combat antisemitism they face and take part in refuting false accusations and distorted historical analogies made against Israel. The young students were very eager, and the conversation was engaging and fruitful.

The New Zealand tour also included a number of informal meetings with public officials, which, as is often the case, were as important as the formal ones.

On Sunday, June 30, the Institute hosted Michael Levitt, the CEO and President of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies. Mr. Levitt, who served as a member of parliament in Canada from 2015 to 2020 and was Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group, delivered an engaging presentation to the Fellows and other TAU International Students on antisemitism in Canada. His talk highlighted the main trends in antisemitic incidents in Canada in recent years and discussed numerous examples of antisemitic incidents that have occurred since October 7. He also discussed the work of the Wiesenthal Center in advancing Holocaust education and combatting antisemitism.

On Sunday, June 2, the Cotler Fellowship hosted two guests to give the final lectures for this year’s program. Dr. Sima Zalcberg, a scholar of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, delivered an engaging talk to the fellows, discussing how and why the ultra-Orthodox function as an “enclave culture” within Israeli society. Dr. Zalcberg then delved into the intricacies of marriage arrangements within Haredi society, highlighting the various aspects and layers involved in the process. Her discussion covered the roles of matchmakers, the ways potential matches are introduced, and the considerations families take into account when selecting a suitable match.

After Dr. Zalcberg, the Fellowship was honored to host Mr. Gil Hovav, a leading culinary journalist and TV personality in Israel, who spoke about his great-grandfather Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the revival of the Hebrew language. The lecture was filled with fascinating, humorous, and, at times, almost unbelievable stories of his great-grandfather’s life journey and his dedicated mission to revive Hebrew in the Jewish homeland—a mission that succeeded in ways one could have never imagined. The story of the revival of modern Hebrew is the story of Jewish survival, of unwavering determination, of the success of Zionism; and some would argue, the story of a miracle. 

The Institute hosted two events at Tel Aviv University’s recent Board of Governors meeting: a plaque ceremony marking the Institute’s official dedication and the first forum hosted by the Institute. 

The plaque ceremony honored key donors of the Institute, and was attended by donors and Friends of TAU from Canada, the Hon. Irwin Cotler, Dafna Meitar (Head of the TAU Board of Governors), and Prof. Rachel Cinamon Gali (Dean, Faculty of Humanties), as well as the 2023-2024 fellows of the Irwin Cotler Institute’s flagship fellowship program. Those in attendance heard from two current fellows, Dacha Azelmad (Morocco) and Veronica Pana Igube (Nigeria), who shared the transformative and deeply insightful experiences they have had through the fellowship program. Additionally, the Hon. Irwin Cotler spoke about the institute’s mission, its remarkable progress over the past two years and its future directions, expressing gratitude to the donors for their support in making this possible. Following this, the official plaque of the Irwin Cotler Institute was unveiled in the Gilman Building at Tel Aviv University.

Alongside the plaque ceremony, the Institute inaugurated the Irwin Cotler Institute Forum at the 2024 Tel Aviv University Board of Governors. This year’s forum focused on the subject of “Democracy, Antisemitism, and the Assault on Human Rights.” 

The Hon. Rosalie Sliberman Abella (Samuel and Judith Pisar Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School; Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada) spoke passionately and urgently about the rise of international human rights law following the Holocaust, and the need, now more than ever, to return to the legal and moral principles that arose out of the horrors of the Second World War. Expressing concern over a world increasingly tolerant of intolerable acts in the name of moral relativism and political pragmatism, Abella called for a serious reassessment of our current global institutions, particularly the United Nations. She emphasized the need for stronger mechanisms to protect human rights and prevent abuses, underscoring the importance of learning from the lessons of the horrors of the 20th century.

Afterward, a panel discussion ensued, during which Prof. Milette Shamir (Vice President of TAU) addressed college campuses as contemporary epicenters reflecting the tolerance of intolerance. Shamir expressed concerns regarding the future of Israeli academia amidst the increasing prevalence of antisemitism and academic boycotts targeting Israeli scholars. However, she underscored the significance of proactive measures, particularly emphasizing efforts in coalition building and establishing a network of allies for TAU. 

The Hon. Irwin Cotler also reflected on the theme of tolerating the intolerable, highlighting how the mass atrocities of October 7, which one would expect should have led to a mitigation of antisemitism, actually have led to an explosion of it. He gave useful insight on how to understand this troubling phenomena as a manifestation of antisemitism, which sees the Jew (and in today’s world, Israel) as the enemy of all that is good and the embodiment of all that is evil.