On Monday night/Tuesday morning (the 25th-26th of February), a live satellite broadcast took place between the community of Sderot and the Jewish community of Toronto. In Sderot, men, women and children from the city, accompanied by visiting Canadian guests, friends and partners of Magbit Canada, broadcast to over 3,000 people in Toronto standing at a UJA Federation to demonstrate their support.

Panel members in Sderot included representatives from the executive staff of UJA Federation; Geut Argone – who told her personal story of being injured in a Kassam attack; youth from Sderot who spoke about growing up in a community under fire; IDF soldiers currently serving in the Gaza Strip, and the “Youth of Sderot” choir, who performed twice during the event. In Toronto, executive leaders of the Jewish community spoke and Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard gave the keynote address.

The purpose of the broadcast was to declare support for Sderot and to ensure the city’s residents that they are not alone. The residents of Sderot were visibly excited to see the wide support from Toronto and expressed that they felt inspired and empowered by the experience.

UJA Federation, in partnership with the other Canadian Jewish Federations and Magbit Canada, has adopted the community of Sderot as part of their Israel Emergency Campaign. Together, these organizations are establishing partnerships with local forces and identifying local needs in a variety of fields. The main thrust of investment focuses on youth and at-risk youth, trauma response and aid to victims of anxiety. In addition, Canadian funding created the first fortified public community gathering space in the city, located in the Sderot Community Center. Through the coalition of service providers, Canadian funding supports a variety of educational and social welfare initiatives in the city and the surrounding communities.