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 8,400 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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Lee Weisser
President
The fight for a democratic Israel comes to you!
Shalom Chaverim/Chaverot,
ARZA Canada is honoured to welcome to our community
Orly Erez-Likhovski
Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)
September 6 – 10
Many of Orly’s events are available by Zoom or livestream for those outside the Toronto area.
Orly is a dynamic speaker and activist, working every day with her team to secure civil rights for a just and egalitarian Israel based on Israeli law and Jewish tradition.
The Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) fights for:
- Women
- Olim (new immigrants)
- Converts to Judaism
- The LGBTQ+ community
- Religious pluralism
- Democracy
IRAC fights against:
- Extremism
- Hatred
- An orthodox monopoly on Judaism
Let’s welcome Orly Erez-Likhovski
September 6 – 10
Event details below
Friday, September 6, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Temple Har Zion, Thornhill
…
Saturday September 7 – Holy Blossom Temple
Scholar-in-Residence: Orly Erez-Likhovski
“The struggle for a Jewish and Democratic Israel – at times of war and peace“
Torah Study 9:00-10:00 am
Torah Study, “Between Parashat Shoftim & Israel’s Declaration of Independence: IRAC’s Pursuit of Justice in Israeli Society”
Service, 10:30 am, “A Social Justice Lawyer’s Perspective on the Torah portion dedicated to Judges” followed by Meet and Greet over congregational Kiddush-lunch
…
Sunday September 8 – 10 am
Temple Sinai
…
Sunday September 8, 7:30 pm – Solel Congregation, Mississauga
A joint event with Solel and Shaarei-Beth El
To watch the livestream on Sunday, 8 September at 7:30pm, click this link:
https://youtube.com/live/EZ6qKY3Pv10?feature=share
(NOTE: This event will not be recorded.)
…
Monday, September 9, 7:00 pm – at Holy Blossom Temple
“The Legal Struggle for Democracy, Equality & Jewish Pluralism: Reflections on a Post-October 7th Israel”
Join Orly Erez-Likhovski in conversation with Joan Garson & Dahlia Lithwick, Journalist on the US Supreme Court and Senior Editor of Slate Magazine.
This event is open to all lawyers, judges, law students, and professors of law. Congregants are welcome to bring their colleagues and friends.
REGISTER HERE
…
Tuesday September 10, 5 pm Dinner and Program
Wolfond Centre, University of Toronto, 36 Harbord St.
Orly Erez-Likhovski will meet with university students.
Details to follow.
…
Just released — our new ARZA Canada video!
Learn more about why your support of ARZA Canada is so important.
WATCH IT HERE: “NOW MORE THAN EVER”
Share this video with your family, friends and colleagues.
We need YOU to spread the word about the importance of support for ARZA Canada to affect positive change.
It’s time to stand up as Reform Zionists for:
- An Israel that embraces equal rights for all its citizens.
- An Israel that promotes and allows freedom of speech.
- An Israel whose policies reflect the diversity of its inhabitants.
Your participation in ARZA Canada makes a difference, both in Canada and in Israel.
Why join ARZA Canada?
Reform leaders from around the world tell you why
ARZA Canada Numbers = Money for Reform in Israel
The more supporters ARZA Canada has, the more seats we have at the World Zionist Organization, and the greater our contribution to Reform values and projects in Israel.
Your support of ARZA Canada means a brighter future for Israel.
- Join ARZA Canada for 2024-2025, either through your synagogue or at arzacanada.org
- Make a donation to ARZA Canada. Contact me directly at:
Make your choice today to support our community in Canada
and our colleagues in Israel.
Support our partners in Israel and our community in Canada.
L’Shalom
Lee Weisser, President
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Upcoming Events
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From the Shalom Hartman Institute:
With a startling rise in anti-Israel activism and antisemitism on campus, how can Jewish communities understand and respond to these dynamics?
Campus resources for this moment - click here
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Friday, September 6, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Temple Har Zion, Thornhill
•••
Saturday September 7 - Holy Blossom Temple
Scholar-in-Residence: Orly Erez-Likhovski
"The struggle for a Jewish and Democratic Israel – at times of war and peace"
Torah Study 9:00-10:00 am
Torah Study, “Between Parashat Shoftim & Israel’s Declaration of Independence: IRAC’s Pursuit of Justice in Israeli Society”
Service, 10:30 am, “A Social Justice Lawyer’s Perspective on the Torah portion dedicated to Judges” followed by Meet and Greet over congregational Kiddush-lunch.
•••
Sunday September 8 - 10 am
Temple Sinai
•••
Sunday September 8, 7:30 pm - Solel Congregation, Mississauga
A joint event with Solel and Shaarei-Beth El
To watch the livestream on Sunday, 8 September at 7:30pm, click this link:
https://youtube.com/live/EZ6qKY3Pv10?feature=share
(NOTE: This event will not be recorded.)
•••
Monday, September 9, 7:00 pm - at Holy Blossom Temple
“The Legal Struggle for Democracy, Equality & Jewish Pluralism: Reflections on a Post-October 7th Israel”
Join Orly Erez-Likhovski in conversation with Joan Garson & Dahlia Lithwick, Journalist on the US Supreme Court and Senior Editor of Slate Magazine.
This event is open to all lawyers, judges, law students, and professors of law. Congregants are welcome to bring their colleagues and friends.
•••
Tuesday September 10, 5 pm Dinner and Program
Wolfond Centre, University of Toronto, 36 Harbord St.
Orly Erez-Likhovski will meet with university students.
•••
Arzenu UK presents: Reflecting on October 7
September 12, 19, and 26
2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT
As the anniversary of the terrible events of October 7th approaches, join us for a 3-part lecture series in which we reflect on these events in their historical context, as well as looking forward to options for the day after.
Rabbi Lea Muhlstein, immediate past Chair of Arzenu, will be leading this lecture series and will be joined by Rabbi Josh Weinberg, a leading expert on the history of Zionism and State of Israel, URJ VP for Israel and Reform Zionism and Ex. Dir. Of ARZA.
Register Here
•••
Sunday September 29 - 1 pm ET/10 am ET
IMPJ Commemoration of October 7, “In Memory and in Hope”
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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.
Meet Our Executive
Lee Weisser
President
Miriam Pearlman
Immediate Past President
Len Bates
Liaison to Reform Jewish Community of Canada
Cheryl Englander
Vice-President
Jeff Denaburg
Vice-President
Dorothy Millman
Vice-President
Valerie Whitefield
Vice-President
Judith Wiley
Secretary
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