Jews, Palestinians in Alberta call for peace on 1st anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel Achi-News

On the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing conflict in Gaza, events and protests were held across Canada, including in Edmonton and Calgary.

“No one wants this, right?” said Irfan Chaudhry, a hate crime researcher at MacEwan University and co-founder of Stop Hate AB.

The conflict has had far-reaching effects around the world and in Canada, including families mourning slain loved ones, hundreds of protests leading to arrests, pro-Palestinian encampments at universities and a sharp increase in reports of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims.

Chaudhry said regardless of people’s background or religion, peace is desirable on both sides. While the conflict is happening on the other side of the world, people across Canada are being affected.

“When you have families involved in it, they convey the reality of the situation from what they observe. And then we as consumers almost as consumers of what we see online, we also kind of live through that trauma as well,” he said.

The conflict has created unique challenges for universities, navigating the line between free expression and the safety and well-being of all campus members as protests and encampments have led to police involvement, such as in Edmonton and Calgary back in May .

“The University of Calgary has invested in maintaining an environment that is physically safe while supporting the expression of ideas – and we will continue to do so. We remain focused on consistently applying policies to preserve free expression and ensure a safe environment for all,” said a statement from the post-secondary institution.

On Monday in Edmonton, about a hundred pro-Palestinian students at Queen Elizabeth High School in north Edmonton held a peaceful walkout and protest.

“We are here to show our solidarity with Palestine and we are here to tell everyone that we as students are not going to stand for the oppression of other students anywhere else in the world,” said Mohammad Qasqas, a grade 12 student at the school secondary.

Activist Mousa Qasqas said many in the Palestinian community felt let down.

“From our governments, from academia, from the media – we don’t feel our narrative is being properly informed,” he said. “October. There were 7 one day and people act like it happened in a vacuum. We are not talking about the occupation that has been going on for 76 years.”

The October 7, 2023 attack killed more than 1,200 Israelis, while another 250 were abducted and held hostage, sparking an Israeli offensive in Gaza that the health ministry there says has left more than 41,000 dead.

David Wallach from Calgary was born in Israel but has lived in Canada most of his life. A holiday back to his homeland last year turned into a nightmare.

“We arrived in Israel on October 5 last year and October 7. My wife and I woke up in our hotel in Tel Aviv to three explosions,” said Wallach.

He and his wife stayed to volunteer in the destruction before they were evacuated to safety.

In Gaza, Palestinian-Canadian Marwan Diab had returned from Canada to his home that month, helping his son who was enrolled in university.

He managed to leave in November last year but returned in May to help facilitate the escape of other family members. They arrived in Calgary on Friday.

“They have seen several horrific days of attacks. No security. You name it. Destruction everywhere. Seeing bodies everywhere,” said Diab.

“It was very devastating for them.”

Diab is providing housing for his extended family and working to help get about 30 other family members out of harm’s way.

Statistics Canadian census data from 2021 indicates that there are approximately 14,400 people of Jewish descent in Alberta, and approximately 4,425 people in Palestine.

Stacey Leavitt-Wright, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, said it was an emotional and raw day.

“I think for many in the Jewish community, they feel isolated this year. We are a small community. This is a very complex geopolitical area. Israel is currently facing a war on seven fronts. So it’s not something that can simply be brought down to a bite,” Leavitt-Wright said.

“People feel they are under attack as much as Israel is under attack.”

He added that it is difficult to mark the day when the conflict is not over yet.

On the one-year anniversary, police in Canada’s largest cities are increasing security, particularly around Jewish and Muslim places of worship and at events being held to commemorate October 7.

Jewish groups across the country are holding events to mourn the victims of the attack and call for the return of hostages. The Edmonton event is being held at Beth Israel Synagogue, while the Calgary event is at Congregation Beth Tzedec on Glenmore Trail.

Rallies and protests took place around the world during the weekend leading up to October 7, including massive events in European cities and marches and vigils in Canada.

With files from Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

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