Spreading the Wisdom of the Torah: Prime Minister Attends Dedication Ceremony for the Ernest Manson Lubavitch Centre

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Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 

Good evening. 

I’d like to begin by thanking your Member of Parliament for that introduction, and for his presence tonight. 

As all of you know very few people in this country, let alone in the Parliament of Canada, have a résumé as impressive as Peter's. 

He is an award-winning broadcast journalist with more than 40 years' experience covering such momentous events as the Yom Kippur War and the fall of apartheid. 

In his role as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, he is putting this wealth of experience and knowledge to work for our Government, and indeed for all of Canada, of course, including this great constituency.  So let's give him once again, all, a big hand. 

Honoured rabbis.

Distinguished members of the Jewish community.

Distinguished guests.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Boys and girls.

Tonight we celebrate the culmination of a long journey – a journey, as you know, that began more than 20 years ago when Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum first shared his vision of creating a place where all Jews could gather to celebrate the faith, the commitment to community and the love of learning that lie at the core of Judaism. 

Together with businessman and philanthropist Ernest Manson, Rabbi Grossbaum crafted plans for a community synagogue centre to be constructed here in Thornhill. 

Sadly, Ernest Manson, as we know, did not live to see their dream come to fruition, but the newly expanded complex we are inaugurating today bears his name as a tribute to his dedication to his cause.

The Ernest Manson Lubavitch Centre will serve as a spiritual, educational and social hub for this community, and of course, a tribute to this great benefactor. 

Thanks to the vision and leadership of the late Rabbi Schneerson, thousands of Chabad Lubavitch centres like this have opened their doors around the world. 

Through education and outreach programs, these centres are strengthening the bonds of the faith within the Jewish community everywhere. 

In so doing, they signify the enduring spirit of the Jewish people. 

Among all the peoples of the world, perhaps none have been tried as often and as greatly, and certainly none have persevered as resolutely and as successfully as the Jewish people. 

Sadly, this perseverance is once again being tested by – and I say this with deep sadness – a rising global tide of anti-Semitism. 

As you know, our Government has taken leadership in the moral responsibility we all have to expose and confront this malignant evil – indeed, all forms of racial and religious hatred wherever they occur. 

Anti-Semitism in particular, however, and I have to say this, I've said it before, I say it again as I look around at the dangers that confront us in the world, anti-Semitism should be confronted in its own right for the moral evil that it is. 

I say this not just to Jews but to gentiles everywhere: it is important to remember that history teaches us that those who aim to destroy the Jewish people, to destroy the nation of Israel, that kind of spirit will not be quenched by that objective. 

They will be a threat to us all, and that is why they must be opposed.

As you know, we have several outstanding leaders for this cause in our Government. 

Jason Kenney, our outstanding Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism spoke forcefully of the need to combat anti-Semitism in all its forms at the recent international conference in London. 

And of course, closer to home, Minister Kent has vigorously denounced the anti-Semitic bullying tactics present on some university campuses in this country.

The bottom line is this: whether at home or abroad our Government will remain a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism, an unyielding defender of religious freedom and a staunch ally of the state of Israel.

In closing, I'd like to thank Chabad Lubavitch for the kind invitation to this historic dedication ceremony. 

I wish you all well in your service to the community, and I wish you well in your efforts to spread the wisdom of the Torah, the wisdom of your faith. 

God bless you in your work, Rabbi. 

God bless all of you in your efforts.

Shalom.

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