On May 12, 2019 the administration of Eitz Chaim Schools in Toronto and Thornhill sent to the parents of the students a security update. Here are excerpts from the letter:
Yesterday [May 11, 2019], on שבת פרשת קדושים, Firas Al Najim [Co-Manager of CD4HR] took a video of himself standing in front of, our Patricia campus, calling for protests at the May 20th annual UJA Walk with Israel. We are aware that the video has been widely circulated on social media and that there is understandable concern among our parent body.
Eitz Chaim takes our security very seriously, and we immediately contacted CIJA (Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs) and the Toronto Police Department, as well as our own private security company, Northern Force.
All three bodies concurred that, despite the location of the video, there is no elevated threat to our school, as the video was specifically calling for protests at the Walk on May 20, and Al Najim sought out our location solely because of the sign depicting the Walk for Israel. In fact, the UJA shared that they have already been working on the Walk’s security and police arrangements for several months, and that plans for May 20th are in place to segregate protesters in an area away from the event.
Despite the reassurances from CIJA, the police, and Northern Force, we have decided to increase the security presence…The safety, security, and peace of mind of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors are paramount. Please feel free to be in touch directly if you have any specific questions, concerns or input.
Wishing everyone a peaceful week ahead.