‘Outrageous’ anti-Israel group to train Ontario union leader on Jew-hatred
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Sid Shniad
Feb 10, 2026, 8:30:24 PM (7 hours ago) Feb 10
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https://www.jns.org/outrageous-anti-israel-group-to-training-ontario-teachers-on-antisemitism-jewish-orgs-say/
Jewish News Syndicate Feb. 10, 2026
‘Outrageous’ anti-Israel group to train Ontario union leader on Jew-hatred
“There are certainly organizations with much stronger reputations within the Jewish community for actually standing up and fighting antisemitism,” the Jewish Educators and Families Association of Canada told JNS.
Dave Gordon
‘Outrageous’ anti-Israel group to train Ontario union leader on Jew-hatred
“There are certainly organizations with much stronger reputations within the Jewish community for actually standing up and fighting antisemitism,” the Jewish Educators and Families Association of Canada told JNS.
Dave Gordon
Classroom chairs. Credit: Pixabay.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has enlisted Independent Jewish Voices Canada, which accuses Israel of “apartheid” and calls for boycotting the Jewish state, to offer antisemitism training to union leadership, according to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the advocacy arm of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.
“We have learned that Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has engaged a fringe, anti-Zionist organization to deliver antisemitism training to its executive,” CIJA wrote to Paul Calandra, the Ontario education minister, last week.
“Anti-Zionist organizations, such as Independent Jewish Voices, falsely claim to represent a substantial or growing segment of the Jewish community,” it said. “However, their positions do not reflect those held by most Canadian Jews. IJV is an organization that goes beyond criticizing Israel’s leaders, which is not inherently antisemitic. Instead, these groups dispute Israel’s very right to exist, a view rejected by the majority of the Jewish community.”
Matthew Taub, who runs an activist group called Unapologetically Jewish, told JNS that nothing qualifies Independent Jewish Voices Canada to teach about antisemitism.
“Absolutely nothing, other than having an opinion,” he said. “There’s no qualification of an organization that does more protests than they do education.”
The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee stated that it “strongly objects” to the “deeply problematic” decision.
“By elevating Independent Jewish Voices Canada as a stand-in for Jewish community expertise in antisemitism, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario is tokenizing a fringe ideological minority and presenting anti-Zionism as a representative Jewish perspective,” the committee said.
“This erases the lived experience of the vast majority of Jewish members,” it added. “At a time when antisemitism increasingly targets Jews because of their connection to Israel, this approach is not only inaccurate. It is harmful.”
Independent Jewish Voices Canada called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, just hours after Israel was attacked.
“The civilian deaths caused by the Hamas offensive are an unacceptable consequence of 75 years of unacceptable conditions, part of an attack that is neither unprovoked nor justifiable,” it said. “Israel needs to be held accountable for its decades of crimes against humanity, crimes that have put Palestinians in a position where violent retribution and death feel like justice.”
Iso Setel, a spokeswoman for Independent Jewish Voices Canada, told JNS that the group is “proud to offer antisemitism training to a variety of institutions across Canada.”
“As Canadian Jews committed to fighting antisemitism, we believe it is essential to provide resources and tools that address antisemitism as interconnected with other forms of oppression, racialized discrimination and organized hate,” Setel said.
“Our training curriculum has been crafted by scholars with expertise in equity studies, anti-racism and Jewish identity” and is “firmly grounded in principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression, making it an especially interesting choice for labour unions and other institutions committed to equity and social justice,” she added.
JNS also sought comment from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
Talia Klein Leighton, president of Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, told JNS that there is, evidently, nothing that the education minister can do “unless the material shows up in classrooms.”
The teachers’ federation is an “independent entity, but is governed by the Labour Union Act and its own code of conduct,” she said. She added that union members would have to complain in order for the anti-Israel group to be removed and replaced with a large, more representative advocacy group.
Aaron Kucharczuk, a spokesman for the Jewish Educators and Families Association of Canada, said that the decision was “really outrageous” and was “tokenizing a small number of people in the Jewish community to reflect the rest.”
“There are certainly organizations with much stronger reputations within the Jewish community for actually standing up and fighting antisemitism,” he told JNS.
He also said that it is troubling that instructional materials have yet to be made public.
“How do we find out what’s being taught?” he said. “The union is not subject to freedom of information and transparency laws, unlike the public schools. But training of its employees should be available to the public, so that the public is aware of what teachers—people responsible for our children—are being taught.”
“There’s no reason why the union should not voluntarily disclose all of this training if they care about the reputation of their members and the credibility as an organization,” he told JNS. “What have they got to hide? What’s the big secret?”
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which represents about 84,000 people, including teachers, has also drawn criticism for being anti-Israel.
David Mastin, the group’s president, authored its resolution divesting its pension from the Jewish state.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has enlisted Independent Jewish Voices Canada, which accuses Israel of “apartheid” and calls for boycotting the Jewish state, to offer antisemitism training to union leadership, according to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the advocacy arm of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA.
“We have learned that Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has engaged a fringe, anti-Zionist organization to deliver antisemitism training to its executive,” CIJA wrote to Paul Calandra, the Ontario education minister, last week.
“Anti-Zionist organizations, such as Independent Jewish Voices, falsely claim to represent a substantial or growing segment of the Jewish community,” it said. “However, their positions do not reflect those held by most Canadian Jews. IJV is an organization that goes beyond criticizing Israel’s leaders, which is not inherently antisemitic. Instead, these groups dispute Israel’s very right to exist, a view rejected by the majority of the Jewish community.”
Matthew Taub, who runs an activist group called Unapologetically Jewish, told JNS that nothing qualifies Independent Jewish Voices Canada to teach about antisemitism.
“Absolutely nothing, other than having an opinion,” he said. “There’s no qualification of an organization that does more protests than they do education.”
The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee stated that it “strongly objects” to the “deeply problematic” decision.
“By elevating Independent Jewish Voices Canada as a stand-in for Jewish community expertise in antisemitism, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario is tokenizing a fringe ideological minority and presenting anti-Zionism as a representative Jewish perspective,” the committee said.
“This erases the lived experience of the vast majority of Jewish members,” it added. “At a time when antisemitism increasingly targets Jews because of their connection to Israel, this approach is not only inaccurate. It is harmful.”
Independent Jewish Voices Canada called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, just hours after Israel was attacked.
“The civilian deaths caused by the Hamas offensive are an unacceptable consequence of 75 years of unacceptable conditions, part of an attack that is neither unprovoked nor justifiable,” it said. “Israel needs to be held accountable for its decades of crimes against humanity, crimes that have put Palestinians in a position where violent retribution and death feel like justice.”
Iso Setel, a spokeswoman for Independent Jewish Voices Canada, told JNS that the group is “proud to offer antisemitism training to a variety of institutions across Canada.”
“As Canadian Jews committed to fighting antisemitism, we believe it is essential to provide resources and tools that address antisemitism as interconnected with other forms of oppression, racialized discrimination and organized hate,” Setel said.
“Our training curriculum has been crafted by scholars with expertise in equity studies, anti-racism and Jewish identity” and is “firmly grounded in principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression, making it an especially interesting choice for labour unions and other institutions committed to equity and social justice,” she added.
JNS also sought comment from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
Talia Klein Leighton, president of Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, told JNS that there is, evidently, nothing that the education minister can do “unless the material shows up in classrooms.”
The teachers’ federation is an “independent entity, but is governed by the Labour Union Act and its own code of conduct,” she said. She added that union members would have to complain in order for the anti-Israel group to be removed and replaced with a large, more representative advocacy group.
Aaron Kucharczuk, a spokesman for the Jewish Educators and Families Association of Canada, said that the decision was “really outrageous” and was “tokenizing a small number of people in the Jewish community to reflect the rest.”
“There are certainly organizations with much stronger reputations within the Jewish community for actually standing up and fighting antisemitism,” he told JNS.
He also said that it is troubling that instructional materials have yet to be made public.
“How do we find out what’s being taught?” he said. “The union is not subject to freedom of information and transparency laws, unlike the public schools. But training of its employees should be available to the public, so that the public is aware of what teachers—people responsible for our children—are being taught.”
“There’s no reason why the union should not voluntarily disclose all of this training if they care about the reputation of their members and the credibility as an organization,” he told JNS. “What have they got to hide? What’s the big secret?”
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which represents about 84,000 people, including teachers, has also drawn criticism for being anti-Israel.
David Mastin, the group’s president, authored its resolution divesting its pension from the Jewish state.
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