The following is a speech made by Eitan Cohen, a former student at Charles H Best Elementary School, to a school board meeting:

I am proudly Jewish. My entire ancestry descends from Eastern Europe, where my family had to flee because they were Jewish. They came here for a better life, and within each generation since, we have had to deal with antisemitism.

Last year, I traveled to Lithuania with my grandparents, parents, and siblings to visit the village where my grandmother's family came from, which had been a thriving Jewish community. It was heartbreaking to stand next to the mass grave of Jews who had been brutally murdered during the Holocaust.

During my five years at CHF, I have been targeted and marginalized by antisemitism. Here’s a short and incomplete list of some of my experiences. On multiple occasions, people have thrown money at me and said, "Go get it, J." I have had other students give me the Hitler salute. I've been sent Holocaust-denying memes on Snapchat. I was told, "You should have been gassed with your ancestors, Jew," and "Free Palestine, kill Israel."

There are two staff members at my school who, since October 7th, have worn keffiyehs. They have also worn hateful shirts that have a map of Israel with water, also known as the Palestinian flag colors, superimposed on them. They had artwork on their doors in red, green, and black with pro-Hamas propaganda on them. I thought that schools were supposed to be politically neutral and safe for everyone. Another staff member at school told me that while Hamas represents something negative for me, other students could see Hamas as liberators and freedom fighters. I remind you all that Hamas has been listed here in Canada as a terrorist organization since 2002.

I've had nightmares of specific students and teachers trying to break into my home and kidnap me. We have spent so much valuable time in school studying many different forms of racism. I personally have benefited so much from this education. I have patiently waited to see how antisemitism would be approached, and yet there has been no time devoted to it. Ultimately, I do not feel part of the school community as a student or as a Jew. I will not be attending my graduation trip.

Please sign our petition demanding that our governments deport non-citizens, including foreigners on student visas, who are abusing the privilege of being our guests by supporting, attending, or even organizing these Hamas hate rallies.

We have also rented billboard trucks to take this message to major cities across America, Canada, the UK and Australia.

Please donate to help us cover the cost to operate and maintain the truck.