ReligiousDelegation

Israeli Religious Leaders in Toronto

  •   Israeli Religious Leaders in Toronto
  • 11/5/2018
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    ​Consul General, Galit Baram welcomed a delegation from Israel to Toronto on November 4. The group was comprised of religious leadership representatives from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze faiths. While in the city they had a busy schedule of meetings with local religious communities organized by the Consulate.

    On Monday (Nov 5), the group visited the Archdiocese of Toronto to meet Cardinal Thomas Collins for a discussion about faith communities in Israel and in Toronto. Afterwards, the group headed to Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue, for another informative session and prayer for the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting attack.


    On Tuesday (Nov 6) the delegation of religious leaders attended the Parliament of the World's Religions at the Toronto Convention Center. The conference halls were packed with people from all over the world, representing many of the Earth’s faiths both big and small. In the morning the delegation participated in an interfaith dialogue with representatives of the local Muslim community. It was a very positive session in which much common ground was found. In the evening our delegation led a panel discussion on the ‘Co-existence of Religions in Israel’. Addressing a busy hall, they spoke about religious pluralism in the Holy Land delivering a message of hope and unity. 


    On the final day of the trip (Nov 7) our group visited the Aga Khan Museum, toured the beautiful galleries of Islamic art, and visited of the Ismaili Centre Toronto.

    As an Israeli mission in Canada, we work to bring Israel to Canadians, but we also bring Canada to Israelis. We were glad to show our Israeli guests the great diversity and fascinating religious mosaic in Canada, and compare the cases of two countries, which are friendly, have shared values and are homes to vibrant and colourful societies.