Designer Shai DeLuca Talks To Us About The Situation In The Middle East

Meet Shai DeLuca, founder and president of Shai Deluca Interior Design. He has a bachelor of interior design from The Art Institute and is a certified residential designer known for his work across Canada and Israel. In 2011, Shai joined Canada’s longest running lifestyle show, Citytv’s Cityline, as a design expert; he also appears regularly on Global’s The Morning Show. In 2014, following the war in Israel, Shai began using his public platform to educate and advocate for Israel, working tirelessly to support Jewish communities around the world in combating antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

Shai was in Israel with his husband on October 7—the day that Hamas terrorists infiltrated the country. It was also the day that the duo was scheduled to leave the country. They went from rushing to a bomb shelter in the morning to getting on one of the last-scheduled flights from Ben Gurion Airport in the afternoon. We spoke with Shai in Toronto. —Vita Daily

Hello Shai; how do you use your platform to impact those who follow you?

Many years ago, I realized that having a public platform was so much more than just being able to share the things that I love whether it be design or fashion. It became a responsibility for me when it comes to things that affect our community. As such, I use my platform to educate and inform both the Jewish and Non-Jewish communities and our  allies with regard to things that are happening, in particular right now in Israel.

What is your take on the current global situation with respect to what is occurring in Israel? And how does it make you feel as a Jewish Israeli Canadian?

Having been there when the war broke out, it was exceedingly difficult for me, as it was for any Israeli that I have spoken to, to get on a plane and leave the country. Being here in Canada thousands of miles away while my family and friends are fighting terror back home is a horrible feeling. You feel helpless and I am left with nothing other than using my social platforms and my voice to bring awareness, fight terror and support for terror here in Canada. I, like the rest of the Jewish communities here in Canada, have been appalled by the support for rape, murder, torture, beheadings, and the burning alive of women, babies, children, and men.

As a designer/creative/public figure, is it difficult to go about “business as usual” at the moment? Any thoughts around managing/that?

It is absolutely crippling to wake up every day, If I have slept at all, and have to go about my day, as if nothing were happening. Being connected to home 24-7 via my cellphone is helpful, however, it absolutely impedes on my day to day life. There is not a friend that I have spoken to within the Jewish and Israeli communities that has not said to me, How do I go on? How do I continue from here? How am I supposed to function on a daily basis? I would say in terms of managing it, the Jewish people have not seen an atrocity at this level since the Holocaust. I don’t have any effective ways to manage it other than to say, take some time for yourself every day to regroup, turn your TV and social media off, introspect, and then go back to it.

Have you made any observations around social media in the past few days? Has the response been appropriate? And, in your opinion, does it really matter what happens on social?

Social media has proven once again to be not only a great tool because it is the tool that really allowed every Israeli, including myself as we were there to receive updates in real time as to what was happening from people who were in the communities that we are attacked. However, being back in Canada, I noticed since Sunday morning, that social media has once again, become a platform for hate and divisive content in support of the atrocities that are happening right now in Israel. Does it matter what happens on social? At the end of the day, it is disturbing to see social media platforms, including Meta, allow Hamas content to be spread as though it is legitimate. It is imperative that social media, Meta specifically, figure out a policy to combat and remove any terrorist supporting propaganda because free speech ends at hate speech.

Any advice/words/insight for those reading who feel removed, personally, from the situation, but wish to gain more knowledge/understanding?

The best advice I can give is to reach out to people within the Jewish and Israeli communities. Everybody needs your support and your kind words. Also be extremely critical of what you post and when you post. Only post from sites that are from verified accounts or people that you know in the media that are trustworthy. There is a lot of propaganda out there and spreading false information does nothing but to deter fighting the good fight. As far as resources, you can follow me. You can also check out Israeli news sites in English. Ynetnews is a great resource, as well as Israel in Canada and Israel in Toronto. For a broader understanding of the situation on the ground, check out resources like Simon Wiesenthal Center and the World Jewish Congress.

Have you heard of any good/effective ways to help at the moment?

On a broader scale, United Hatzalah is a great organization to donate to. They help save thousands of lives each year across Israel by providing medical treatment in an average response time of three minutes or less and have been on the scene of the terrorist attacks since October 7. You can also donate to Magen David Adom and Friends of the IDF. In local communities, reach out to synagogues who have created drives and drop off centers for needed items like sanitary items, food, clothing and toiletries.