Celebrate Vaughan 2016 | Page 96

[ BUSINESS ] Avi Benlolo is President and CEO at Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies – one of Canada’s premier non-profit human rights organizations which offers specialized education programs to over 100,000 people every year and proudly boasts over 30,000 Canadian donors. Q& A AVI BEN LOLO President and CEO of FSWC SETting SIGHTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS INTERVIEWED BY ALAN SERRECCHIA Mr. Benlolo is a published writer and prominent speaker on behalf of Canadian human rights. Over the span of his twenty-three year career, Mr. Benlolo has raised over $75 million for human rights advocacy and programs. His Canadian and global network is extensive, ranging from top Canadian business leaders to international thought and political figures Elie Wiesel, Salman Rushdie, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Shimon Peres and Chris Hadfield. He regularly confers with Canadian political leaders at all levels, senior officials in law enforcement and education and leading journalists and thought-leaders. In October 2017 Mr. Benlolo is being awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Haifa recognizing his outstanding leadership in the fight for human rights in Canada and beyond. Q. When did you first feel the call to help others? What was your first concrete step towards answering this call to action? Do you think studying the Arts played a role in your eventual career path? A. I have always had a strong identity embedded in social justice, based on my concern for the future of humanity. I recall even as a young school child, on several occasions, I became fearful of a nuclear Holocaust and internalized that anxiety. It was difficult for me to understand why human beings seem to have a primal need for violence. This became a central question for me as I entered university. All through my BA, Masters Degree and PhD (to be completed), I focused on social psychology and spent a great deal of time interviewing Holocaust survivors as well as survivors from Bosnia, Somalia and other war zones. After intense research, I decided that what the world needs is a counter balance to hate and intolerance. And that’s what I set out to create. Q. You first joined FSWC in 2000 and since then you have turned the organization into one of Canada’s most well recognized proponents in the battle for human rights. Can you think of the turning point – any one moment or decision that helped usher in this turnaround which has FSWC boasting over 30,000 donors and over 100,000 annual attendees to the various programs offered? A. The organization’s success is the result of many supporters who helped FSWC establish itself in the early years. They understood – especially after 9/11 with the increase in terrorism and the resurgence of antisemitism and growing levels of intolerance, that a new voice was needed in Canada. We could no longer be silent. This recognition led to the development of advocacy campaigns, educational programs and nationwide relationships that continue to make a positive difference. I am especially proud of the success of many of the programs I developed with my team including the Tour for Humanity, Freedom Day, the Spirit of Hope Benefit, Speakers Idol and Tolerance and Diversity workshops. Q. FSWC offers programs across the board for students to teachers, to law enforcement officers, to politicians – how important is it to custom craft your message to the many differing audiences out there? A. Although each group is unique, our message is always the same – because human rights are universal – at least they should be. The information we use to educate a grade six classroom would differ from our education program for law enforcement. But both groups will leave with a sense of responsibility for humanity. Both groups will ask how they themselves as individuals can contribute to a better world. 96 Celebrate Vaughan / 2016