It is important to understand that here in Canada there is a distinction between an act of antisemitism and a criminal charge, that is commonly referred to as a “hate crime.” In fact, there is no specific offense of “hate crime” in the Criminal Code. Imprecise use of the term can lead to confusion. The […]

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a branch of Iran’s military tasked with protecting the country’s Islamic system. It was established after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and has evolved to become a powerful and influential entity within Iran, involved not only in military operations but also in political and economic activities. They are […]

What is a kibbutz? A kibbutz, is a unique town to Israel, that are built as small, close knit communities. The word stems from the Hebrew word meaning a collective gathering. A kibbutz is a communal dwelling where people live and work together based on socialist principles. Kibbutzim tend to focus on agricultural development, and […]

Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist political and military organization based in Lebanon. It emerged in the early 1980s in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and has since evolved into a powerful paramilitary and political force within the country. The name “Hezbollah” means “Party of God” in Arabic.   Key points about Hezbollah: Origins: […]

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is another Palestinian militant organization that operates primarily in the Gaza Strip and to a lesser extent in the West Bank, as well as having a presence in Lebanon and Syria. It was founded in the late 1970s as a radical offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its primary goal […]

Hamas is a Palestinian political and military organization that operates primarily in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It was founded in 1987 and is an acronym for “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya,” which translates to the “Islamic Resistance Movement” in English. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Israel, […]

The West Bank refers to the territory of what was once Judea and Samaria, west of the Jordan River.  When proposed plans for Jewish and Arab states were drawn up in 1947, a green pencil was used to draw the border of the territory, thus the “Green Line” demarcates the border between the West Bank […]

Gaza is a territory that is today controlled 100% by Hamas, a recognized Islamist terror organization.  Though there has been Jewish history in Gaza from Biblical times, in modern history, it was largely settled by Arab communities.  In 1949, when the dust settled after the War of Independence, Gaza was occupied by Egyptian military forces. […]

The word “Palestine” has referred to several different entities, at different times. The word likely derives from the “Philistine” people who lived in the territory of what is today Israel, during Biblical times, though the Philistines have no connection to modern-day Palestinians. In about 135CE, the Romans began to refer to the region of what […]

The Holocaust refers to the systemic destruction of the Jewish community of Europe which took place during World War II. From about the year 1941 to 1945, over six-million Jews across Europe were murdered, either by mass-shootings, gassings, or being herded into concentration, labour, or death camps, by the Nazi regime. During the Holocaust, about […]