The website that previously published a list of all Canadian citizens who served as IDF soldiers has now published a new list of Jewish institutions associated with them.
The aim of “GTA to IDF” is to highlight what role Canadian institutions may play in promoting Israel and the IDF.
GTA to IDF, referring to the Greater Toronto Area, is a new project by Davide Mastracci, who released the Find IDF Soldiers site in February. The existing database contains the names and profiles of 206 Canadians who have served in the IDF. The new one doxes the institutions they attended and their involvement with them.
The Find IDF Soldiers project found previously that the average lone soldier is “most likely to have grown up in a Greater Toronto Area neighborhood with a larger-than-average proportion of Jewish residents in what they’d describe as a Zionist household.” The GTA was therefore selected as the geographical area for this new project.
Mastracci considered an institution eligible if it and/or its head office is based in the GTA and is associated with at least four military members contained in the Find IDF Soldiers database.
Seven institutions in the GTA – including summer camps, schools, and synagogues – met the criteria for the project.
Mastracci said all of the information on this website was taken from public sources, including websites and social media accounts, and that he did not create the database with the intent to encourage any harassment of the institutions named.
Austin Parcels, manager of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, told The Jerusalem Post that with all the violence Jewish institutions and communities in Canada have seen in the recent past, the new list is a step too far.
“Publishing a directory of Jewish schools, community centers, and communal organizations framed as if their ties to Israel are incriminating is inciting and dangerous,” he said. “It becomes a catalogue for hostile actors who are looking for targets.
“These are Jewish organizations. Treating that basic fact as if it reveals something hidden or corrupt is an attempt to manufacture suspicion around Jewish identity itself. When you turn the most elementary fact of Jewish identity into suspicion, you are not revealing anything. You are giving people who want to harm Jewish institutions the ammunition they are looking for.”
What are the seven Canadian institutions doxed by the anti-Israel site?
The seven institutions are Associated Hebrew Schools; Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto; Bnei Akiva Schools; Camp Moshava Ennismore; Camp Ramah in Canada; Shaarei Shomayim; and TanenbaumCHAT.
Schools
Associated Hebrew School is a private Jewish elementary school that aims to encourage students to “see the world through a Jewish lens and a fierce pride for Israel.” Since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, it has spoken of its solidarity with Israel and the IDF. The pupils have written to soldiers, and soldiers have also spoken at the school. Eight of the soldiers listed on Find IDF soldiers attended the school.
Bnei Akiva Schools run two high schools in the GTA. It states its strong support of Israel on its website and its curriculum. It has also advertised an “Aliyah Assistance” program. Over 30 soldiers on the database attended the schools.
TannenbaumCHAT is a private Jewish high school that expresses a steadfast commitment to Israel. It aims to “instill a strong and vibrant connection to the State of Israel in its students.” It also organizes trips to Israel and stays with the IDF. It has consistently shown support for Israel since October 7. Twelve soldiers attended the school.
Synagogues
Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) is an Orthodox synagogue with around 800 member families. Support for Israel is in the shul’s mission statement. Maracci noted that its rabbi, as of October 29, Daniel Korobkin, was featured in a March 2023 episode of a podcast from The Canadian Jewish News titled, “This Toronto rabbi says Canadian Jews must support Israel and stop criticizing her politics in public.” It has also hosted real estate sales for land in Israel. It has publicly congratulated its members who went on to serve in the IDF – of which there are at least 10.
Shaarei Shomayim is a Modern Orthodox synagogue with around 700 families as members. Its mission statement also states support for Israel, and since October 7, it has shown consistent alliance. It has hosted events relating to the IDF or the war, such as speakers or prayer gatherings. Eight soldiers are listed as members.
Camps
Camp Moshava Ennismore is a co-ed, Orthodox summer camp that aims to strengthen the religious-Zionist community. It has employed former soldiers as staff. Eight members are said to be associated.
Camp Ramah in Canada is the Canadian branch of an international chain of Jewish summer camps. It espouses Conservative values and a “deep commitment to Israel and the Hebrew language.” Many members also attend trips to Israel. It has expressed continual support for Israel and the IDF during the war. Four members are associated.