TreePeople’s Post

The winter issue of the STF Bulletin is here! ❄️ Features include how one teacher connects math and art, profiles of extracurricular leaders and a look back at our fall mini rallies. Read it today: https://bit.ly/STFBulletin

The genie is out of the bottle. We need to listen to each other, in order to do so we need free press, free speech and free social media. Humanity needs fresh ideas and a new type of politics, representing mankind as a whole instead of fragmented political interests! We have to grow together in order to urgently address the issues that impact all of us like conflict, climate change, inequality and forced migration together. This we can only do without any dominance, as equals. Collectively in Solidarity. www.convergence.ngo & www.pax.ngo

Imagine the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) started using my backyard to hold rallies and Klansman started congregating there (including staying overnight) to chant and advocate their ideological views. Now imagine I, as the property owner, did nothing to stop this. I let this go on indefinitely as the KKK insisted it would not leave until their ideological demands were met. In the interim, this group also prevented my friends whose skin colour was not white and/or didn’t share their ideology from entering my backyard. Under this imaginary scenario, what would my neighbours think? They would naturally (and correctly) assume I was a member of the KKK, or at the very least, shared the same ideology as this group, given I showed no effort to remove them from my backyard. This is exactly what is happening currently at the University of Toronto. U of T is letting a group of people determine who is allowed and who is not allowed to enter onto its private property, while making no efforts to change this. For example, myself being Jewish, would not be allowed into the fenced area of Kings College Circle; again, private property owned by U of T. At the same time, while on its private property, this group of people glorify violence (glory to the martyrs), chat genocidal slogans (River to the Sea), and call for violence against Jewish people (Intifada). So what are we to believe when it comes to the leadership at U of T, including the administration and the Board of Governors, to whom they report? Well, the same conclusion under my imaginary scenario, that they either view themselves as part of this group, or at the very least, agree with the hateful and violent ideology this group is espousing.

Pins have always meant something special to me. More than just accessories, they represent the causes and movements that matter. I still have pins from campaigns, rallies, and community events over the years – reminders of the progress made thanks to those that shoulder up and stand together. I also grew up admiring historical pins for the causes that still resonate. Recently, I started thinking about pins differently. What if a pin could symbolize a personal quest? A personal journey towards finding purpose in all areas of life? Just like rally pins brought together people pursuing change, a personal pin could attract stories, opportunities and connections aligned with our deepest goals. In the end, pins unite people behind common causes. And what's more powerful than the collective and shared pursuit of purpose? Especially in this town. 💌 Mount Purpose.

The distressing displays of ignorance and hatred we have been witnessing since October 7th, with rallies taking place in democratic countries, advocating harm and the destruction of Israel and Jews, is disturbing to say the least. This reminded me of Todd Strasser's book, "The Wave." It's based on a true story from the 1960s, where a high school teacher conducted a social experiment to show how the Holocaust happened. In the story, students learned the dangers of blindly following authority and how easy it is to develop a mob mentality, all based on lies and fiction. The experiment began innocuously but soon took a dark turn as students, seeking unity and identity, grew increasingly aggressive, even resorting to violence. It mirrors the frightening reality of how quickly people can be swept up in destructive movements, much like what we're witnessing today with rallies advocating harm and hatred. Back in high school, when I read this book and learned about the Holocaust, I honestly believed that such terrible events couldn't happen in our modern world, given our advanced technology and instant communication. Sadly, I was wrong and naive. In 2023, there's no excuse for Jewish people worldwide having to hide their religious identity, worry about their kids' safety at Jewish schools, and avoid speaking Hebrew outside of Israel. It's not okay to allow rallies where flags are burned and people call for the destruction of a country. It’s not okay to chant for the demise of an entire religion, regardless of which one. It’s not okay to kidnap innocent civilians, including infants, women, and the elderly,  It’s not ok to remove signs with pictures of those who were kidnapped. It’s not okay to use civilians as a human shield or shoot rockets indiscriminately. On the flip side, it is entirely okay to demand the safe return of 224 individuals, including 30 children and infants, who were kidnapped by a terrorist organization.  And YES, wanting the end of a terrorist organization is a just cause. It's hard to believe that I'm writing these words in 2023. The world needs a wake-up call because a real life scenario, not an experiment like "The Wave", is unfolding. Only this time, it's orchestrated by a terrorist organization, and it can't be stopped by a high school teacher when it gets dangerous. In the photo below, is the necklace I'm currently wearing. While we face daily rocket attacks and the constant threat of terrorism in our country, Israel remains the sole place where Jewish individuals can feel secure wearing symbols of their faith. In 2023. #hamasisisis #freepalestinefromhamas #israelunderattack #jewsunderattack #antisemitism #warcrimes

DID YOU KNOW...? Boston is home to the first public park in the US, called the Boston Common. Established in 1634, it is the oldest public park in the country and has served as a gathering place for residents and visitors alike for nearly four centuries. It has also served as a grazing ground for cows, a British camp during the Revolutionary War, and a site for speeches and protests. 🌳 What's your favorite activity to do in the historic Boston Common? #bostonrealestate #bostonhomes #bostonluxuryhomes #homesellinginnewton #sellingnewton #newtonma #newtonrealtor #newtonhomes #brooklinerealestate

Mayor Olivia Chow, while we are grateful for your condemnation of the abhorrent antisemitic vandalism found yesterday in Cedarvale Park, mere words are not enough. The city’s ongoing inaction against the root causes fuelling such hatred is deeply disturbing. In fact it is this very inaction that enables and emboldens the type of disgraceful vandalism we saw yesterday. The Al-Quds Day and other rallies, which you have allowed to proceed, are breeding grounds for antisemitism and extremism, culminating in acts of hatred like those we've just witnessed. The city’s failure to take decisive action and ban these rallies is inexcusable and reflects a lack of commitment to the principles of decency, respect, and human dignity that Canada stands for. We demand more than passive responses; we demand proactive leadership to eradicate this venomous hatred from our streets. The time for platitudes is over. Immediate and concrete action to ban Al-Quds Day rallies and similar hate inciting events is required. Torontonians cannot stand idly by as our city, and country, is tarnished by hate imported from the Islamic Regime in Iran that threatens the very fabric of Canadian society! We demand action, Mayor Chow. The safety of our community and the soul of our city are at stake. #NoHateInOurCity #StandAgainstAntisemitism #BanHateRallies #TorontoStrong #CanadianValue