ARZA Canada (the Association of Reform Zionists of America – Canada) is affiliated with the Reform Jewish Community of Canada and the Union for Reform Judaism North America.
ARZA 2024 • Now More Than Ever
With over 4,400 members, our mandate is to connect with Reform communities throughout Canada, foster connections with and strengthen our ties to the Reform Movement in Israel, and work to realize the vision of Reform Zionism.
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Judith Wiley and Jeff Denaburg
Co-Chairs, ARZA Canada
Everything is Not OK
Shalom Chaverim,
Israel is burning from within. Prime Minister Netanyahu previously replaced the Minister of Defence and IDF Chief of Staff, and last week fired the head of Shin Bet and started a process to fire the Attorney General, while his coalition presses forward with plans to weaken the judiciary.
Anti-government protesters in Jerusalem
Refusing to accept accountability for October 7, the government has now abandoned the hostages to resume war in Gaza, for no apparent reason other than to keep the government from falling. (Micah Goodman explains why this is bad for Israel.)
The majority of Israelis, opposed to authoritarian rule by the PM, have taken to the streets in large numbers, resulting in violent clashes with the police. Many sectors of society are threatening to shut down the economy.
Protests outside the Prime Minister’s house
We pray that Israelis succeed both to protect their democracy and avoid the country splitting apart.
Make a difference for Israel’s future
World Zionist Organization elections – update
The schedule for the Canadian election for the World Zionist Organization is:
- Pre-registration – May 1 to June 4
- Voting – June 5 to 15
All Canadian Jews are eligible to vote in the election. It is not required to be a member of a synagogue or of a Zionist organization, such as ARZA Canada.
Voting will be online only (no paper ballots). There will be an administrative fee of $2 to register. This fee is only to cover the cost of running the election.
In future newsletters we’ll provide more information on the World Zionist Organization, and why it’s so important to Reform Jews in Israel and around the world to participate in the election and to vote for ARZA Canada.
Please plan to vote and encourage your friends and family to vote for ARZA Canada, even if they’re not affiliated with a synagogue.
Temple Israel tours southern Israel
Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg of Temple Israel in Ottawa led a mission to Israel where the visitors came face to face with the people and places who have been so affected by October 7 and the subsequent war. In this article, Rabbi Mikelberg describes how the mission brought his community emotionally closer to Israel and re-confirmed their commitment to Zionism.
L’Shalom,
Judith Wiley and Jeff Denaburg
Co-Chairs, ARZA Canada
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Upcoming Events
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Digital Leaders for Progressive Judaism
The World Union For Progressive Judaism is offering a program to develop “Digital Leaders”, who will learn about the values of progressive Judaism and how to share them on social media. The program includes leadership training with time in Israel.
Click here for more information.
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Israel Dialogues
Holy Blossom Temple – all sessions 12 PM ET
Friday, April 11 – Dr. Asher Susser, Professor Emeritus of Tel Aviv University
Topic: Trump, the Arabs and the New Middle Eastern Balance of Power
Friday, May 2 – Ambassador (ret’d) Scott Proudfoot, former Canadian representative to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA Advisory Commission
Topic: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: a Canadian diplomatic perspective
Thursday, May 8 – Dr. Michal Hautel-Radoshitzky, Senior Advisor and Program Director, MIND Israel - Advanced Strategic Thinking
Topic: Beyond the Headlines: Understanding Israel’s Legitimacy Challenges on the Global Stage
To register, click here
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Podcasts
Miriam Pearlman, immediate past president of ARZA Canada, discusses the impact of Israel’s new government with fellow leaders in a Canadian Jewish News Daily podcast:
About ARZA Canada
Travel to Israel
Arza Canada Privacy Policy
The Privacy Commission of Canada states the following:
Non-profit organizations are not subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) when they do not engage in commercial activities.
The following activities are not considered commercial and are not subject to PIPEDA:
- collecting membership fees
- compiling a list of members’ names and addresses/email addresses
- mailing out newsletters
As you know, ARZA Canada represents Canadian Reform Zionists with members in all of Canada’s Reform congregations. Though independent of the sister organization, ARZA, in the United States, it is an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Reform Jewish Community of Canada (RJCC). We are writing to address how ARZA Canada maintains its membership records, and in particular its commitment to the privacy of our members.
Accurate membership records are important to the entire Reform Jewish Community of Canada given that the size of our membership determines our influence on Zionist policies in Canada and in Israel. ARZA Canada members come through congregational solicitation and activism, and so annually it is provided lists of its members from Canadian Reform congregations such as yours in order to confirm individual memberships. This is deeply appreciated.
ARZA Canada has strong privacy practices to ensure the confidentiality of this membership information. It is used by ARZA Canada to communicate with our members and engage them in the activities of ARZA Canada, including joint programs with RJCC and our congregations.
For more please click here.
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