Indigenous Sovereignty & the Fight Against Ecocide: Stories of Solidarity in the Tradition of Jewish Anti-Fascism

How did a retired Jewish accountant wind up on the front lines of Indigenous land defence 1,400km north and west of Vancouver? Approaching this question in the context of Jewish anti-fascist political movements of the last 150 years, local organizer Bob Ages outlines a multi-generational struggle against oppression that grounds his current solidarity work with Indigenous allies defending their land and sovereignty from some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.

History provides us with stories that can sustain us in the present day and many histories of anti-fascist resistance are suppressed or forgotten. Rooted in his family history, in this online talk Bob will share his personal experiences, lessons learned, and the joys of being on the front lines of resistance and resurgence. He will speak to the ways that settler allies and co-conspirators can support Indigenous Nations in their efforts to protect and steward their unceded territories, and further, learning what it means to do so in a good way, with good hearts.

Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET on Zoom

Registration is required (free)

This is the third event in the Peretz Centre's new Doikayt Speaker Series: four public, online talks with local scholars and organizers to help us think about what it means to be here, right now -- and how we can be part of the work to sustain and initiate change for the sake of a better, more beautiful world for all.

Like our Zhargon program, the Doikayt Speaker Series extends classroom learning for students enrolled in Doikayt: Histories of Jews Going West and opens discussion with the broader community. Located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, the Peretz Centre's Doikayt program invites a lovingly critical engagement with Jewish histories of migration and settlement, and the role that Jews have played in colonial projects of nation-building.

We acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada.

About Our Speaker

Bob Ages is a longtime union and social justice activist, now retired from work, but not the movement. Since 2014, he has worked with Wet'suwet'en land defenders and traditional chiefs in opposition to the Coastal Gaslink fracked gas project. He continues support for their efforts to "Heal the People, Heal the Land" while adding coordination with their Gitxsan neighbours and allies in the fight to stop the proposed US-owned Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project. He is also a member of Independent Jewish Voices and works with the Palestine solidarity movement in the lower mainland.

Get involved and support Lax'yip Firekeepers at the upcoming gathering on Wednesday, May 13th at 6pm (Unitarian Church, 949 W. 49th Ave.): The Land Remembers: Anti-Colonial Resistance from Gitxsan to Gaza

Event image: Illustration of trees from Morris Bassin's Antologye finf hundert yohr Idishe poezye (2nd edition), published by Dos Bukh in New York, 1917 (p. 187).