Essam Sleiman

Essam Sleiman participated in an anti-Israel event in San Jose, California, in November 2023.

The profilee's activism occurred during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which Israel launched after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks when Hamas murdered nearly 1,200 Israelis, injured thousands and kidnapped hundreds.

As of July 2025, Essam Sleiman's LinkedIn profile said he was the founder, and had been the CEO, of Canvas since October 2024.

San Jose Jummah Prayer & Rally

View Event

Date: Nov. 24, 2023

Organizers: PYM Bay Area

Location: Santana Row, San Jose, CA

Event Flyer: Instagram

The event was in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The outcome of the movement's goals would result in Israel's destruction. Within hours of the October 7, 2023, terror attacks, the BDS movement renewed its call for an anti-Israel boycott.

Organizers posted an event flyer to Instagram that accused Israel of "ongoing genocide" in its war against Hamas. The post called Israel the "Zionist occupation" that was engaged in the "occupation of Palestine."

The term “genocide” was coined in 1942 and first used at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals. Since Israel's founding in 1948, anti-Israel activists have accused Israel of "genocide" in an attempt to compare Jews to Nazis and delegitimize the creation of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel.

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.

Anti-Israel activists spread antisemitism by denying Jewish history and religious rights to the Land of Israel in order to portray Jews as foreigners. They do this to delegitimize restored Jewish sovereignty and terms they use include accusing Israel of "colonialism," "occupation," and "imperialism."