Amir Epstein Leads Tafsik in Bold Advocacy for Western Values and Zionism

by Dave Gordon

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Amir Epstein has rapidly emerged as one of Canada’s foremost Israel activists and a passionate advocate for the Jewish people. As the co-founder and executive director of Tafsik, a dynamic Jewish civil rights organisation based in Toronto, Epstein has transformed grassroots activism into a powerful national movement in just eighteen months. Under his leadership, Tafsik has become widely recognised for its bold, innovative approach to combating antisemitism and building bridges across communities.

Tafsik’s achievements under Epstein’s direction are both diverse and impactful. The organisation has provided crucial financial assistance to new Israeli immigrants, established support groups for LGBT Jews, and raised funds to allow young Israelis to experience Canadian summer camps, offering them respite and connection during challenging times.

Tafsik has also organised numerous rallies and public events championing freedom, democracy, and solidarity with Israel, consistently drawing support from a broad spectrum of ethnic and religious allies, including Iranian, Indian, Christian, Yazidi, and Venezuelan communities.

Epstein’s vision extends beyond direct aid and advocacy. Tafsik’s acclaimed speaker series has brought dozens of A-list thinkers, influencers, and public figures to audiences across Canada. The roster includes Australian broadcaster Erin Molan, renowned scholar Gad Saad, celebrated writer Douglas Murray, actor Michael Rapaport, tech influencer Hillel Fuld, urban warfare expert Col. John Spencer, and, next month, Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi—underscoring Tafsik’s commitment to fostering dialogue and unity at the highest levels.

What sets Tafsik apart is its grassroots spirit and ability to “punch above its weight.” Despite being under two years old, the organisation has already established itself as a driving force in the Jewish and broader Canadian communities, leveraging innovative technology, strategic partnerships, and a relentless commitment to civil rights and Western democratic values. Epstein’s leadership, marked by courage and inclusivity, continues to inspire thousands and demonstrates the profound impact that determined individuals and organisations can have in the fight against hate and for a better, more united future.

How would you describe Tafsik, and what does it do?

It’s a Jewish civil rights group; We have pillars that we started to focus on, which were building allyships outside of the community, building technology to combat antisemitism and advocacy, and rallying and protesting against injustice, whether it be in the TDSB or politics. Then we added this year’s university advocacy to help university students. And the newest pillar is community outreach, and that's where you're seeing our LGBTQ efforts, as well as Family First, which is for the families who other family members have excommunicated for being Zionist.

Why did you create Tafsik?

So I've always wanted to advocate, and do something more than just, you know, online fighting with people who hate us. I didn't get a kick in the ass until I saw what happened October 7, which wasn't just a kick in the ass -- that was a full, you know, beating. It was seeing how the world was celebrating and excited that Jews were killed. And I'm like, ‘I don't know what's happening, but the degradation of our society, at least when it comes to the Jewish community, is so bad.’

And I thought we were kind of being protected. I thought, you know, there are a lot of big organisations that have lots of money and do community work, and hundreds of people work there. They're protecting our needs, right? And I learned that there was a big black hole there, which needed to be filled. We needed to stand up strong, take an actual position and fight back, and that's what we started doing.

Why did you decide on Douglas Murray as your big inaugural post-October seven event?

We wanted to get the attention of the allies—that was the whole event's purpose—to gain allies. We started looking at different communities and who made sense, who would want to join us, and who would care to join us. You can imagine it’s hard to express the need for allyship through phone or Zoom. We needed someone interesting to hear, eloquent, and intelligent.

He had three offers but asked us, "What’s the talk for?" I pleaded my case, and he did it with us because he felt it was an important mission. We put all the allies in the front rows—no politicians or organisations. We had the Hindu organisations, Kosovars, Iranians, and many other groups.

What do you hear from the community that people most need to have from an organisation like yourself?

Most people seem to react the strongest to our community outreach and advocacy. There are different kinds of advocacy. There's the polite ‘Let's invite Olivia Chow and everybody else, and we'll all stand together against antisemitism and antisemitism is bad.’ I don't see what purpose it serves. I know what the argument is. It's good to have, you know, everyone from everywhere. Try to work with people who may not be our friends and make them become our friends. I just don't believe that's possible. Maybe I'm just pessimistic.

And then there's advocacy that we do, which few others do. We showed up at the Al-Quds rally, at the university encampments, to make a point, and stand up right in their face. There are other kinds of events from other groups that try to stand with Jewish students, but they gather two kilometres away from the University of Toronto, and march on some street no one’s on. We don’t see anything productive in that. We go on campus, actually, and have a rally with Shai Davidai.

The Jewish organisations are like Baskin-Robbins flavours. Some people prefer chocolate mint chip, and others want swirls. But I'm not saying that there isn't a need. There's a need for everything. They do serve a purpose on some level. Who am I to say what people should think about what’s good about them? I just think there’s a huge black hole, and there are times when there are desperate situations, and people have felt they’ve had nowhere to turn.

What do you think keeps people from advocating for Israel and the Jewish people?

I think people are afraid, and they have a right to be. I think people are also emotionally exhausted. Others are either in denial or completely unaware of the serious existential threat that we're facing. We have to reach out to the ones who are scared. You're not going to teach people not to be afraid. You want to give them strength and power, and we try to do that.

Then there are the ones in the bubble. Those people come home after work, put on the hockey game, and don't want to hear about it. Everything's fine, leave me alone.

But one thing I think people need to tell other people is that anti-Zionism is Jew-hatred. This is such an important message that Jews need to start taking back the narrative. Don't let other people define you. That message is so important.

We had a rally on this topic on April 16 at Mel Lastman Square, and four hundred people came out. That’s nice, it had an impact, but there are 200,000 Jews in Toronto. If all of them were Jews who came, we’d have zero-point-two percent of our community show up.

The majority of us don't support the destruction of Israel, but how do we mobilise? How do we get people to come out and understand how important it is to be seen and heard by the news, the politicians, and the general community?

If you look at Everything Jewish Toronto or other Facebook groups, thousands of people are complaining. They’re saying, “I can’t believe this is happening. This is outrageous. Have you seen this?! Have you heard about this?!” So we’ll say, “Come to the rally,” and hear, “Oh, I’m busy.”

So what good is it to complain to other Jews, who complain to other Jews? It doesn't do anything. We had a large Indian community that showed up at the rally. They stood on stage with us. Where are the Jews? Where are we?

What matters is showing up at those rallies, for the things that don't cost a penny but will be seen by the news. They'll be seen on social media. So if a small percentage of Jews come out, imagine what that tells those same politicians that you're angry at, for not caring about the Jews?

We just need the Jewish community to stand up and show up, more than anything else.