Both Ramadan and Passover are religious holidays. Month-long Ramadan came to an end a few days ago with a celebration and meal for family and community — Eid-al Fitr. In less than 10 days, Jews celebrate the first night of Passover with a family meal or Seder.
But here we run out of similarities.
As I reported here, as well as a period of self-reflection and charity (Zakat), Ramadan is a time for Muslims to buy their children toys, new clothes and prepare special food for the family.
Mustafa Naji and his wife find comfort in being home, although it is now a pile of rubble, where they broke their fast in the evening for Ramadan in 2024 (credit: Mohamed El Saife/CBC News)
Never Stop Talking about Gaza
In Gaza virtually nothing is available, and the few cans or boxes in markets are priced sky-high. Inflation reached 305% in early March (up from 153% in February). Israel allows into Gaza very little food, fuel for cooking and heating, no medical supplies or baby formula. People are starving – there is almost no food available, and if you’ve seen photos I doubt any crop can be grown amidst the absolute bombed out devastation of the enclave. Of course because of Israel’s missile and tankfire, people are on the move to escape injury and death– no chance to grow food.
Israel has now killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, of whom at least 20,000 are children. The UN says there are more than 4,000 child amputees. More than one medical authority has called this tragedy the highest number of child amputees in the world.
Palestinian Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, Gaza Strip [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
673 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire in Oct. 2025. Between Mar. 6-17, Israel killed 35 Palestinians, and injured 95 others.
689 Gaza households receive tarps and received 50 square meters of plastic film rolls as of Mar. 17
In one week in March, 80 households that suffered airstrikes received clothes, blankets and cereal
On March 15, Israeli undercover agents in the West Bank killed a Palestinian family, parents, their two sons, and injured their two other sons
In the West Bank, settler attacks have become more severe. There is a 54 per cent increase in injuries and a more than fourfold increase in settlers forcing Palestinians from their homes and land compared with 2025 averages.
18,500 Palestinians in Gaza including 3,800 children, require urgent medical evacuation for live saving treatments not available in Gaza
170 UN-supported kitchens in Gaza are providing 1.5 million meals a day – 500,000 in northern Gaza, and 970,000 in southern Gaza. That means half a million Palestinians – old, young, babies, are receiving one meal a day. One third of adults in Gaza don’t eat any meals in a given day – in order to save what they can for their children or the elderly.
The meal supplied consists of thin lentil or bean soup, simple rice and beans, and one piece of pita bread.
In 10 days, Jewish families will be feasting at their evening Seder meal to kick off the eight days of Passover. With no shortages of food, water, or electricity, Israeli Jews will celebrate the holiday. But if the bombing from Iran continues, they may have to do this in air raid shelters.
At a few tables discord could arrive (before Elijah does) if anyone dares to speak for Palestine and criticize Israel’s 2.5 year genocide against the Palestinian people.
82 percent of Israel’s Jews support the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip—that is 70 percent of the secular Jewish public, some considered liberal, plus over 90 percent of Israel’s religious Jews
-only 51 percent of Canadian Jews self-identity as Zionis
–42 percent say they are either ambivalent to or opposed to Zionism
Just to confirm that trend, a recent poll in the US shows only 37% of Jews self-identify as Zionist. That number drops even further among younger Jews.
– most Canadian newspapers, and even in the “newspapers of record” in the US such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, there is far more coverage of Israeli deaths—than those of Palestinians. Recent figures show that of all the Gaza-related deaths (including the Israeli hostages) since Oct. 2023, 2.7% of all the deaths are Israelis including the hostages; more than 96% are Palestinians.
But it gets worse: this is not merely a matter of opinion in a far away land.
Below: Some of the Canadians fired for supporting Palestinians.Paramedic Katherine Grzejszczak speaks to her union after she was fired from her job for a pro-Palestine post in her social media. Dr Yipeng Ge was kicked out of his medical residency program in Ottawafor criticzing Israel; Birju Dattani was forced to resign his job as chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission; poster by Indigenous activists to demand Art Gallery of Ontario allow curator Wanda Nanibush to speak publicly after she was forced out of her job; engineer Amjad Ramadan was fired from his job for talking about Palestine.
The impunity granted to Canada’s Jewish community and the pro-Israel lobby know no bounds. Hundreds of Canadians – especially Muslim and racialized Canadians — who speak out against Israel’s genocide are fired, suspended, lose jobs, are not hired, and continue to be punished by universities, art galleries, media outlets, governments and other institutions. Pro-Palestinian voices are silenced on public stages, art galleries, events and presentations. Any reference to attacks on Palestine and Palestinians are minimized or discounted by mainstream Canadian media.
We know the score in Gaza for Eid-al-Fitr. Mass starvation, more children dying of disease, thousands of food and aid trucks stopped at the crossings due to Israel’s vengeful control of who and what enter Gaza.
How many times will we hear the litany from liberal-minded Jews who won’t lift a finger to help Palestinians because “Oh, it’s so complicated.”
How long will the Jews of this country continue to deny what Israel is doing in our names? How many times will we hear the litany from liberal-minded Jews who won’t lift a finger to help Palestinians, “Oh, it’s so complicated.”
How often do we hear – “I don’t agree with what the IDF and the US are doing – but we have to fight antisemitism in Canada.” What does that mean except when bad things happen elsewhere and we say nothing. Why should we condemn Israel?
Edmonton’s police chief takes a free trip to Israel
Still, there is praise for Israel. Edmonton Chief of Police Warren Driechel, who went on a free “training” trip to Israel in February with other Canadian chiefs, when criticized about taking the trip insisted that no community group
“… should have the right to direct where we can learn… I stand by my decision to take the trip to Israel and continue to view it as valuable amongst multiple learning experiences I will have….”
National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) poster on Instagram
“Congratulations Chief, you divided this community – tremendously. On behalf of the Somali community, on behalf of the Muslim community, on behalf of the Black community, we are against this … and we feel betrayed.”
The only support for the chief came from two speakers from the ‘official Jews,’ the Jewish Federation of Edmonton.
“Canadian Jews are politically enfranchised, but socially estranged.”
Dr David S Koffman, York University
It brings to me this wonderful quotation from Canadian professor David S Koffman, the J Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry at York University,
“Canadian Jewish communal resources increasingly moved away from what was once called “community relations” (and is now called “allyship”). Instead, we invested in vertical alliances: forging strong ties with police chiefs, university presidents, Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliaments, and other officials. This made sense at the time: Jews were entering the highest echelons of power and elite institutions and had more access to these officials. But the focus on vertical alliances came at the expense of horizontal ones—with labor unions, teachers’ federations, municipal councils, churches, temples, mosques, and grassroots organizations. And so, we arrive at today’s condition: Canadian Jews are politically enfranchised but socially estranged; powerful in official circles, but uncertain of our neighbors.”
Another ruined dinner party... 