Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua to Chair Ontario Municipal Leaders’ Summit on Antisemitism

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said this week he will serve as chair of the upcoming Ontario Municipal Leaders’ Summit on Antisemitism, set to take place on Friday, January 21st, 2022.

The summit is being hosted by Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).

Mayor Bevilacqua’s announcement was made at the inaugural Vaughan-Ramla Summit celebrating the sister-city relationship between the Canadian and Israeli cities.

Earlier this year, Mayor Bevilacqua spoke at the first-ever Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, hosted by the municipality of Frankfurt am Main, in partnership with the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM). This groundbreaking event brought together leading municipal officials from around the world for a common mission — to eradicate religious hatred and prejudice from their cities.

In his address, Mayor Bevilacqua said, “We have a shared responsibility to stop antisemitism in all its forms and manifestations through education and public consciousness. Our message is crystal clear — we are opposed to any and every form of antisemitism.”

In January 2020, Vaughan — located just north of Toronto and home to one of Canada’s largest Jewish populations — adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Watch Mayor Bevilacqua’s remarks at the Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism below (beginning at 0:31):