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
Time to Speak Up
Shalom Chaverim,
“Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this movement.” Statement of the Union for Reform Judaism
Israel’s government has become a major risk to the future of the country – maybe bigger than Israel’s formidable enemies. It is divisive, racist, and anti-democratic. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the government is degrading Israel’s moral standing in the world.
Hunger in Gaza
The disaster in Gaza is not just a military failure, it’s a moral failure. A large portion of Israelis have come to realize this.
The failure of the Netanyahu government has turned Israel’s closest allies against it and reduced the chances for new regional alliances. It has allowed Hamas to harden its positions which will, ironically, help Hamas to survive the war – the worst outcome for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The government has now opened the gates to aid. This is an admission of failure. It will not erase the disaster it created.
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) issued this statement on the situation in Gaza.
Violence with impunity
It doesn’t help Israel’s moral reputation that West Bank settlers regularly damage the property of West Bank Palestinians, and often attack individuals. Yet the criminals are rarely arrested and almost never charged.
The Minister of National Security (Itamar Ben Gvir) and the Minister overseeing the military in the West Bank (Bezalel Smotrich) are both racist ultra-nationalists. They are behind this disgraceful situation.
The URJ issued this statement on West Bank violence.
Tisha B’Av
Today is the 6th of Av on the Hebrew calendar, only 3 days from Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning the consequences of Jewish infighting and extremism, even in the face of external threats.
Israel is a wonderful country – the homeland of all Jews. We pray that Israelis will have the strength to overcome their current government and put the country back on a path towards democracy, justice for all, and the pursuit of peace. We must do all we can to help.
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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STAY TUNED FOR UPCOMING EVENTS
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
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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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