| B'nai Brith Canada | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1875 |
| Type | Organizations based in Canada |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose/focus | Advocacy, Education, Network, Social Work |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Region served | Canada |
| Membership | 4000 members[1] |
| Official languages | English, French |
| President | Joe Bogoroch |
| Parent organization | B'nai B'rith International |
| Website | www.bnaibrith.ca |
B'nai Brith Canada (BBC) is the Canadian section of B'nai Brith (the Canadian organization uses no apostrophe in "Brith"). It was founded in 1875 and is the country's oldest Jewish service organization.
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According to an article in The Forward, B'nai Brith Canada had 4,000 full-dues paying members in 2007.[1] At one time, the organization was struggling financially and mortgaged its head office in order to raise $850,000 to meet expenses.[1]
B'nai Brith Canada owns and operates the weekly Jewish Tribune as a subsidiary publication. [2] The newspaper claims a circulation of over 62,000 copies a week which would make it the largest Jewish publication in Canada. [3]
On November 29, 2002, B'nai Brith Canada sued the Canadian government for "failing to crack down on the fundraising efforts of Hezbollah", by not adding Hezbollah's charity wing to the list of banned terrorist organizations; the military wing of Hezbollah was already listed, but not the entire organization.[4] About a week later, Canada made the decision to designate all of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
In January 2004, Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association, filed a formal complaint against B'nai Brith Canada under the "discriminatory signs and statements" section of the Manitoba Human Rights Code. After speaking with several people who attended a Winnipeg conference on terrorism hosted by B'nai Brith Canada in October 2003, she wrote that the event was biased against Muslims and would encourage the response teams in attendance to engage in racial profiling. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission (MHRC) accepted the complaint and began an investigation that would last five years. In 2009, the MHRC issued a report that dismissed the complaint due to a lack of evidence.[5] MHRC vice-chairwoman Yvonne Peters subsequently wrote that "the full investigation of the complaint that took place was warranted" and that "the decision was based solely on the insufficiency of the evidence with respect to this particular section of the Human Rights Code."[5]
An editorial in the National Post made several criticisms of the investigation:
David Matas, B'nai Brith's senior counsel, accused MHRC vice-chairwoman Yvonne Peters of taking a contradictory position, stating that:
"So what they're saying is that a full investigation is warranted even when there's no evidence, as long as the accusation is within the jurisdiction of the board. There's a lot of problems with this. What basically happened is that Siddiqui heard a rumour. She makes a complaint, as a result of which the commission goes on a five-year fishing expedition. They don't find anything. We're co-operating with them. And then they dismiss the complaint. That's not a proper procedure, in my view."[5]
In 2004, Adam Aptowitzer resigned from his position as the Ontario chairman of B’nai Brith Canada’s Institute for International Affairs after making statements on The Michael Coren Show defending the use of "terror" tactics by Israel against Palestinians. B'nai Brith Canada disavowed his opinions.[6]
In 2007, a group calling itself Concerned Members of B’nai Brith Canada charged that a new constitution had been passed despite a majority of members having voted against it at a general meeting. Henry Gimpel, a former Toronto lodge president, told The Forward that "[t]here’s too much of [B’nai Brith Canada] being run by one person.”[1] Frank Dimant, CEO of BBC, responded to the criticism over the constitution by saying that BBC followed proper governance procedures and that B'nai Brith International's Court of Appeal determined that the constitution was properly enacted. Gimpel and seven other BBC members were expelled in June 2008 for what a disciplinary committee determined to be "conduct unbecoming a member." Gimpel referred to the committee as a kangaroo court.[7]
In July 2009, B'nai Brith Canada issued a press release[8] denouncing Carleton University for hiring Hassan Diab, who was alleged by French authorities to have been responsible for the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing. Diab was living under virtual house arrest at the time (he had been granted bail but under very strict conditions) due to an extradition request from France. Diab, who has denied any involvement with the synagogue bombing, has not been convicted of any crime. Within a few hours of the B'nai Brith Canada complaint, Carleton University announced that it would “immediately replace the current instructor, Hassan Diab" in order to provide students “with a stable, productive academic environment that is conducive to learning.” B’nai Brith executive vice-president Frank Dimant later stated that "the university did the right thing.”[9]
On November 9, 2009, B'nai Brith Canada ran a full page ad in the National Post comparing radical Islam with Nazism. Frank Dimant, CEO of B'nai Brith, said "overall, feedback from the ad has been very positive." At the same time, the ad drew the ire of the group Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims.[10]
Centre for Community Action
Affordable Housing
Community Volunteer Service Programs
League for Human Rights
24-hour, 7-day-a-week Anti-Hate Hotline
Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents
Institute for International Affairs
Canadian Israel Public Affairs Committee (CIPAC)
Government Relations Office
National Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
Operation Thank You: Educational Initiative Honouring Canadian Troops in Afghanistan
Communications Department
Legal Desk
Campus Outreach Program
Young Leadership Development Groups
Network of B'nai Brith Lodges
Sports Leagues
Jewish Canada Information Service
Alzheimer's Residence, Toronto
It was on B'nai Brith Canada's recommendation that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was awarded B'nai B'rith International's Presidential Gold Medal to honor what it described as his commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.[12]
Award-winning film producer Robert Lantos has been a long-time supporter of B'nai Brith Canada and in 2008 was awarded the organization's Award of Merit.[13] Among the other Canadian notables to have received the Award of Merit of B'nai Brith Canada are Lindsay Gordon, Blake Goldring, Frank Stronach, Tony Comper, Al Waxman, Wallace McCain, Lloyd Axworthy, Mayor Jean Drapeau, George Cohon, Leo Kolber, former Liberal Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin, hockey legend Jean Béliveau, Paul Tellier, former Ontario Premier Bill Davis, Ambassador Allan Gotlieb, Monty Hall, Surjit Babra and Walter Arbib, Izzy Asper, Guy Charbonneau, former Manitoba Premier Gary Filmon, former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Herb Gray, former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers, former Alberta Premier Ernest Manning, and Calin Rovinescu.