Hanukkah and Advent Message from the Honourable Harry S. LaForme

The following remarks were delivered by The Honourable Harry S. LaForme on December 21, 2025, during a remembrance ceremony held in Hamilton in partnership with the Hamilton Jewish Federation, honouring the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.

Drawing on Anishinaabe teachings, Jewish history, and the shared symbolism of Hanukkah and Advent as seasons of light, Justice LaForme speaks to grief, resilience, and the sacred role of remembrance in the face of rising antisemitic violence. His message affirms solidarity with the Jewish community and calls for moral clarity, collective responsibility, and hope amid darkness.

Justice LaForme is an Anishinaabe and a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. He was the first Indigenous person appointed to an appellate court in Canada and served as the inaugural Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He also serves as the Honorary Chair of the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA).

Read his remarks:

December 21, 2025 - Hamilton

Shalom: To the Hamilton Jewish Federation – thank you for this privilege.

The story of the Jewish people has many weaving similarities to the First Nations of this country. Like the Jews, we are resilient, we are survivors, we trust, and we maintain and believe that at the center of the universe dwells the Creator who is everywhere and dwells within us all.

Over the last number of years many tears have been shed over senseless acts of violence to the Jewish community. I have shed my share of tears along with you. In the Anishinaabe culture – my culture – tears are viewed as a sign of strength; as a sacred medicine and a spiritual act that connects individuals to their ancestors and to the Creator.

We believe that tears are considered one of the "seven natural ways of healing". They are a spiritual release that "washes away despair" and allows for the movement of emotions to restore balance and well-being.

Our Elders teach us that tears are prayers too – they travel to the Creator when words fail. Those who are grieving; those who shed tears are considered as holy or awakened because they stand on the threshold of the spirit world.

Wiping away the tears is a communal act that provides a safe space for participants to share their burdens and "wipe away" the heaviness of trauma, such as that caused by the Holocaust, October 7th, Amsterdam, Boulder, Colorado, Washington, Montreal, Ottawa, Manchester, Toronto – and now Bondi Beach, Australia. In this environment, tears represent a "legacy of strength" rather than just a burden, symbolizing the endurance of the people through genocide, displacement and horror.

It grieves and infuriates me that my Jewish brothers and sisters are experiencing the horror and pain that they are. Those charged with the public safety are profoundly failing you; they are failing us. Jew hatred, antisemitism, violent jihadist extremism is wrong. It should not be happening and it must not be allowed to continue. It is evil. it is wicked. It must end.

These dark times put me in mind of the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who reminds us that "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all darkness" and to "Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future."

Today is the last night of Hanukkah and the fourth Sunday of the Christian Advent season. Throughout the world the last candle of Hanukkah is lit just as the fourth advent candle representing Love is also lit. Our shared humanity and commitment to Light and Love brought us together today.

My family and I stand with you and yours in light, in love and with hope – not just as allies but as loving friends. In community let us shed the tears of healing, send our prayers to the Creator and light the candles.

Let us empower the light, let us dispel the darkness – and in hope with love overcome the evil facing us all.

Let our tears be a symbol of endurance and a signal to the Jewish People – you will never be alone. Together we are a potent force for change and for good

May this season of light bring joy and may 2026 bring us the miracle of peace.

Miigwetch; Shalom; Thank You!

Harry LaForme

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