On February 12, The Quebec Jewish Congress (QJC) publicly expressed its disappointment following the seven year sentence handed down to Omar Bulphred, who perpetrated the criminal arson attacks against The Skver-Toldos Yaacove School on September 2, 2006 and a Jewish community centre on April 3, 2006. (more…)

On May 11th, Louise Sultan, the Associate Director of F.A.S.T (Fighting Anti-Semitism Together) for Quebec Jewish Congress and finalist for the Prix Anne-Greenup was honored by Yolande James, the Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities, for her work on the antiracism program, “Choisissez votre Voix”. (more…)

From April 6 -24, the largest exhibition of photographs and memorabilia from the Rwandan genocide was showcased at the Monument National in Montreal. This was the centerpiece of a three week series of activities marking the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. In addition to the very moving exhibit, QJC, in collaboration with Page-Rwanda and IBUKA (non-profit organizations dedicated to helping Rwandan survivors) organized a series of lectures, symposia, dialogue and panel discussions focusing on reconciliation and healing. QJC  also partnered with Page-Rwanda to organize the official commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the genocide.

On April 7, the Members of the National Assembly further affirmed their commitment to preserve the memory of genocide victims when they unanimously passed a motion acknowledging the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Jeffrey Boro, former President of Canadian Jewish Congress – Quebec region, led a group of Holocaust survivors to Quebec City for the occasion. Members of the Jewish community were joined by a group of Rwandan genocide survivors in the gallery of the National Assembly, thereby demonstrating their solidarity and respect for the victims.

Sainte-Agathe, Quebec was the venue for this year’s annual Passover Seder hosted by Quebec Jewish Congress Charities Committee. It was an opportunity to share the messages of hope and freedom that are so central to the holiday with our fellow Quebecers.

2008 saw the unfortunate occurrence of a few anti-Semitic incidents in or near Ste Agathe. The Seder provided a timely opportunity for all town residents to move forward and to gain a better understanding of one other in a warm and social setting.

On April 21, at the initiative of QJC, a joint motion presented by MNAs Lawrence Bergman (PLQ), Sylvain Simard (PQ), Gérard Deltell (ADQ) and Amir Khadir (QS) commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day was unanimously adopted by the Quebec National Assembly.

The Quebec Jewish Congress Charities Committee contributed to bringing “Cartooning for Peace,” an internationally renowned cartoon exhibit, to Canada for the first time. “Cartooning for Peace” is an initiative born at a meeting in 2006 between Le Monde‘s celebrated cartoonist, Plantu, and then U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The exhibit captured the public imagination and inspired more than 20 interviews with Plantu and Kichka in the print and broadcast media. Plantu and Kichka paid tribute to QJCCC’s role, as co-organizer of the 10th edition of the Action Week against Racism, during a televised interview with Anne-Marie Dussault of RDI.
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Quebec Jewish Congress, in partnership with CJPAC and the Quebec-Israel Committee, held its annual cocktail in honor of La fête nationale. More than 150 people attended, including Parti Québécois MNA Sylvain Simard, Executive Director of the ADQ Simon-Pierre Diamond, and former Liberal Party of Canada candidate Sébastien Dhavernas, and young community leaders from all spheres of Quebec society. The event served to strengthen QJC’s relationship with Quebec’s future leaders