On December 29th, 2022, a new Government of Israel was formed. This new government is the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history. Since then, the inclusion of formerly shunned elements of Israeli politics into the coalition and the pursuit of an aggressive policy agenda has kept Israel in the headlines.
As Canadian governments and institutions look to respond to developments in Israel, they are turning to our local Jewish community for guidance. The leadership of traditional, legacy institutions within the community are advocating for a hands-off approach to Israeli democracy and declining to criticize the policies of this new Israeli government. This approach does not reflect the views of the members of the Canadian Jewish community as revealed by this survey.
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Our United in Opposition survey report says that Mr. Shimon Fogel, the President and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), has publicly defended measures such as segregation in public spaces. Mr. Fogel has informed us that our statement is categorically false. Our statement was based on our honestly held interpretation of an interview of Mr. Fogel during a Canadian Jewish News’ podcast that Mr. Fogel and CIJA say is inaccurate. CIJA and Mr. Fogel clarified to us that they do not support gender segregation in public spaces. The New Israel Fund of Canada and JSpace have no hesitation in recognizing that Mr. Fogel is a widely respected professional who has dedicated decades of his life to Canada's Jewish Community