ARZA Canada is affiliated with the Reform Jewish Community of Canada and the Union for Reform Judaism North America.
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.
Lee Weisser
President
We want to hear from you!
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Dear Friends, The world is becoming more polarized. We know our ARZA Canada members hold a range of opinions. It’s time for an open conversation about where we stand as Canadian Reform Jews.  The ARZA Canada board is examining our role in advocacy and the tension between staying silent and speaking out, especially on controversial issues. We have to balance our desire to advocate for our shared values with the responsibility of representing our membership. Have your say Here are the findings from our board, as well as an invitation for further feedback from you. Until now we have focused on our primary mandate of helping to grow Reform/Progressive Judaism in Israel and Reform Zionism in Canada. We generally avoid speaking out on the West Bank and Gaza, as does the leadership of the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism (IMPJ), with whom we consult on sensitive issues.  Key findings from our board self-examination: 1. Some argue that we should not go beyond our core mandate. Others feel it’s time for us to be more active in speaking out about human right violations, within the State of Israel and in the West Bank. 3. We believe we should continue to support IMPJ and IRAC who are protesting extremist policies. 4. ARZA Canada, the Reform Jewish Community of Canada (RJCC), and the Reform Rabbis of Canada (RROC) speak together on behalf of the Canadian Reform community. Whenever possible, ARZA Canada should be the primary voice for issues concerning Israel. Your ARZA Canada Board will continue to work on your behalf for our shared values. We welcome feedback from each of you. Submit here by January 26, 2023. Thank you. |
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.
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
