JFC-UIA NATIONAL UPDATE | AUGUST 2019
An update on recent developments in the news and accomplishments by Jewish Federations of Canada - UIA and its partners and affiliates in recent months. These highlights illustrate our core organizational mission to connect Jewish Canadians and communities to one other and to Israel.
Message from the CEO
Greetings!

I hope you have all been enjoying this glorious summer! At Jewish Federations of Canada – UIA, it’s been a busy and exciting season.

Over 1,700 Canadians went to to Israel on CIE Birthright summer trips, bringing this year's total of Birthright participants to over 2,000. In particular, the response to the young adult (aged 27-32) experience has been strong. Winter registration opens September 4th. The team is also planning its biennial 'Friends with Special Needs' Birthright experience, scheduled for January 2020.
 
Next week, JFC-UIA is hosting Isaac ‘Bougie’ Herzog, Chairman of the Executive at the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and Steven Lowy in his first act as World Chairman of Keren Hayesod, on a multi-city tour of Canada. Accompanied by Federation executives and JFC-UIA Chair Michael Frankel and me, they will attend campaign and community events in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

Over the next few months, Federations across Canada will launch their annual campaigns. I wish each of them great success. The strength of our community depends on the philanthropic actions and outstanding generosity of our lay leaders and community members. With their support, we can do great things individually and collectively.

Our teams in Israel and Canada have been busy planning ‘Yom Canada’. This one-day meeting in Tel Aviv on November 3 rd will gather Canadian lay leadership & stakeholders who are active in Israel & Overseas partnership activities and allocations to find inspiration and common ground between individuals and communities.

Yom Canada is open to all Canadians attending the JAFI meetings and those in Israel on Federation and JFC-UIA related programs. We will share and experience a day in Israel, discussing shared identity and identifying upcoming themes for Israel and the Jewish people.

The day will include workshops, site visits and dinner at the Canadian Ambassador’s house. We hope you will join us. [Email Terri at [email protected] for more information.]

Looking further forward, our team is building on the implementation of the strategic plan that was approved at the June board meeting. We continue to work actively with our partners and stakeholders in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration towards our shared goal of a strong Jewish community.
 
Shabbat Shalom.
Nikki Holland, President & CEO
Jewish Federations of Canada - UIA
LEADERSHIP PROFILES
The Canadian Jewish News spoke to JFC-UIA Chair Michael Frankel.

The Jerusalem Post spoke to Arie Levy, Interim Director General in Israel, JFC-UIA.
OF INTEREST
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
ANOTHER BIRTHRIGHT PROPOSAL
Mazel tov to Falan Turner and Task Ison, who got engaged in Israel on a young adult Birthright trip in August. 
FEDERATION NEWS
YOUNG LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE HELD IN TORONTO
Earlier this summer UJA Federation of Greater Toronto hosted close to 300 visionary young leaders from over a dozen cities at the National Young Leadership Cabinet retreat, an annual continent-wide initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America.
MONTREAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
Over 1,000 Montrealers attended the 102nd Federation CJA campaign launch on August 22nd. Entertainment included an excerpt from A Century Songbook, a Yiddish musical which was commissioned by the Federation in 2017 for its 100th anniversary. The main event was a big singalong led by the Israeli group Koolulam, which for the past couple of years has been bringing hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of diverse Israelis together to sing about peace.
ISRAEL NEWS
Israel is holding elections for the 2 nd time in 2019. Want to know more? Access The Israel Democracy Institute's Guide to the September Elections HERE
Immigration to Israel rose by almost 30 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the previous year, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel
ALEX DWORKIN CANADIAN JEWISH ARCHIVES
The Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives is finally settled at its new location at 4810 Jean Talon St. W., suite 211. 9 metres of paper records (equivalent to 18 banker’s boxes), has already been acquired in 2019.

The collection now includes a rare book of water colour sketches of the internment camp for German-born Jews at Ile aux Noix / Fort Lennox, Quebec (seen above), donated by the Pfeiffer family.

Additional art works include an evocative Jewish-themed painting from Montreal artist Joyce Jason and audiovisual materials including significant recordings about Montreal rabbis (from Dr. Sharon Gubbay Helfer) and about Iraqi Jews in Canada (from Dr. Norma Joseph).


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