A Canadian Holocaust survivor was harassed with queries about her support of Israel by a leader of an anti-Israel organization who had dressed as an orthodox Jew, at a United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greater Toronto event on Monday that featured guest speakers former US president George Bush and former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper.
"If you're a Holocaust survivor, why do you support oppression? Why do you support people who are killing?" Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR) leader Firas al Najim demanded of the elderly woman in videos he published on his social media. "She escaped the Nazi evil regime, is that correct? How come now the Israelis are killing the Palestinians and hurting them and you're not doing anything about it? Why are you standing with Israel? Just because you want to have a Jewish homeland, you want to kill everybody? You want to murder and steal people's homes?"
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Najim compared the State of Israel to Nazi Germany, chiding the Holocaust survivor, as "When you come out of oppression, you shouldn't be doing oppression. You tasted that evil lifestyle, you should be coming out to help the oppressed."
The Holocaust survivor was brought into a nearby building, but it was unclear if it was to attend an event or to escape Najim's harassment.
"If you're a Holocaust survivor, why do you support oppression? Why do you support people who are killing?"
Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR) leader Firas al Najim
Challenging attendees on US actions in Iraq
Najim appeared to have dressed as an orthodox Jew to gain entry to the event and to challenge attendees on their political beliefs.
He filmed himself with UJA Toronto president Adam Minsky, launching into a round of questions as the activist removed his mask and opened his shirt to reveal an undershirt with a picture of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Al Najim demanded Minsky comment on US military actions in Iraq and the death of Abu Akleh. On September 5, an IDF investigation found that it was likely that Israeli gunfire killed Abu Akleh, who was killed in a gunfight between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin on May 11.
"Palestine will be free, and Iran and its allies will defeat the Zionist regime."
Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR) leader Firas al Najim
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Activists disrupting Jewish community event
"Does anyone here support a free Palestine?" Najim yelled at attendees. "Palestine will be free, and Iran and its allies will defeat the Zionist regime."
Najim was ushered out of the venue, and accussed those present of supporting war criminals.
"International Law! You think you're God's chosen people, you think you're above the law?" he asked.
Najim was not the only activist disruptor at the event. Bush's panel was momentarily disrupted by an activist Najim identified as "Tamara" when she screamed that he was a "war criminal."
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The UJA event was the organization's first in-person programming in three years, it said in an Instagram post on Wednesday. It served as a campaign launch to raise funds for the local community and vulnerable Jewish communities around the world, including those in war-torn Ukraine.
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"Atrocious - activist dresses up as a Jew to harass a Holocaust survivor over her support of Israel," remarked the NGO StopAntisemitism on Twitter. "These antisemites have no boundaries."
"International Law! You think you're God's chosen people, you think you're above the law?"
Canadian Defenders for Human Rights (CD4HR) leader Firas al Najim
Past altercations in Toronto
"These antisemites have no boundaries."
StopAntisemitism
Najim has been involved in similar altercations with the Toronto Jewish community. In July, he was part of a group that had gone to protest at a shopping plaza with Kosher businesses after finding that no one had come to demonstrate against the 2022 Muslim Association of Canada Convention. MAC had invited several speakers who had previously expressed pro-terrorist and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
Protestors waved Palestinian flags and yelled "free Palestine" and in one instance “Shabbat shalom b*****s” at Jewish shoppers.
CD4HR was one of the groups involved in a rally in April in which participants praised terrorist rocket attacks against Israel.