Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs explained

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
Former Name:Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy
Abbreviation:CIJA
Type:Advocacy group
Headquarters:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Leader Title:Chair
Leader Name:Gail Adelson-Marcovitz[1]
Leader Title2: officer
Leader Name2:Shimon Fogel
Budget:Approx. $11 million[2]
Budget Year:2012

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA;) is a Zionist and Jewish advocacy organization and an agency of the Jewish Federations of Canada. It was founded in 2004 as the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CCIJA) and headquartered in the district of North York within Toronto, Ontario.

History

In 2011, CIJA assumed its current name following an 18-month restructuring process in which the functions of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, the Quebec-Israel Committee, and the National Jewish Campus Life and University Outreach Committee were consolidated.[3] The group's Chief Executive Officer was Hershell Ezrin, who served in that position until his retirement at the end of 2010.[4] Shimon Fogel, former CEO of the Canada-Israel Committee, now serves as CEO.[5] [6]

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, representing Jewish Federations across Canada. CIJA represents the diverse perspectives and concerns of more than 150,000 Jewish Canadians affiliated with their local Jewish Federation.

As the Canadian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, representative to the Claims Conference and to the World Jewish Restitution Organization, CIJA is also connected to the organized Jewish community.

Controversies

CIJA has faced criticism due to comments made by staff through news outlets and via its social media accounts. In 2023, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East criticized "provocative statements" made by CIJA Israel office Director David M. Weinberg. His statements make use of dehumanizing terms to refer to Arabs, Muslims, Palestinians, and human rights activists, calling them “weeds”, “snakes”, “barbarians”, and “terrorists”.[7] [8]

CIJA also faced criticism when it lobbied against islamophobia Motion M103 in a Canadian parliamentary committee, just weeks after the Quebec mosque attack, together with B'nai B'rith Canada.[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: About Us, Our Team . 13 June 2023.
  2. News: Bybelezer . Charles . 10 October 2012 . Center for Israel, Jewish Affairs' Misguided Policy . The Jerusalem Post . 30 July 2020.
  3. News: Csillag . Ron . 23 August 2011 . Canada's Restructured Jewish Advocacy Agency Gets Name . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . 30 July 2020.
  4. News: Gordon . Sheldon . Head of New Canadian Council to Organize Grassroots Efforts . The Forward . 27 February 2004 . 17 June 2009.
  5. http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2011/07/cija-responds-to-the-final-report-of-the-canadian-coalition-to-combat-anti-semitism/ "CIJA Responds to the Final Report of the Canadian Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism"
  6. News: 23 December 2010 . CIC Exec Named to Lead Restructured Agency . Canadian Jewish News . 8 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120926145949/http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20549&Itemid=86 . 26 September 2012 . dead .
  7. Web site: CJPME Condemns Provocative Statements by CIJA's Israel Office Director. 11 November 2023.
  8. Web site: Weinberg . David . 2018-10-19 . Mowing the grass in Gaza . https://archive.today/20240416195127/https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/mowing-the-grass-in-gaza-2/ . 2024-04-16 . 2024-04-16 . www.israelhayom.com.
  9. Web site: 2017-02-02 . CIJA’s position on M-103 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170312051842/https://www.cija.ca/m103/ . 2017-03-12 . 2024-06-29 . The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs . en-US.