Jooish

🚨✡️ CHOW OPTS To SKIP ANTISEMITISM DEBATE — WHAT MESSAGE DOES THAT SEND TORONTO’S JEWISH COMMUNITY? Mayor Olivia Chow has opted out of a major mayoral debate focused specifically on antisemitism, hate and public safety — and her explanation is raising eyebrows. The Sept. 8 debate, organized by Jewish Lawyers of Canada, has been in the works for weeks. The organization says it had been communicating with Chow’s team since Aug. 7 — and that her campaign never raised a scheduling problem connected to her campaign launch. Now, Chow’s team says she won’t attend because her official re-election campaign launches on Sept. 9 — literally one day later. Meanwhile, her opponents Brad Bradford and Chris Alexander are showing up. And when the Toronto Star asked whether the involvement of moderator Jesse Brown — a vocal critic of Chow’s record on antisemitism — played a role in her decision, her spokesperson reportedly did not answer the question. Brown says he would have stepped aside if that was preventing her participation. At some point, Toronto’s Jewish community is entitled to ask a very simple question: Does our community actually matter to Mayor Chow? With Toronto’s Jewish community facing an extraordinary level of antisemitism, the mayor was given an opportunity to stand before Jewish Torontonians, defend her record, answer difficult questions and explain what she intends to do. She chose not to show up. Whatever explanation City Hall offers, the message many Jewish Torontonians will hear is painfully clear: Our concerns simply aren’t important enough to warrant showing up. That should concern every Jewish voter in Toronto. Read More: https://www.thetorontoscoop.com/news/olivia-chow-is-skipping-toronto-s-antisemitism-debate-for-jewish-torontonians-it-s-about-more-than-one-event