| Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CIJA |
| Formation | 2004/2011 |
| Type | Organizations based in Canada |
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose/focus | advocacy |
| Region served | Canada |
| Official languages | English, French |
| Chief Executive Officer | Shimon Fogel |
| Website | www.cija.ca |
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) (formerly the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy) was founded in 2004 as the principal advocacy, oversight and co-ordinating body for a number of Jewish Canadian organizations including the Canada-Israel Committee (and the Quebec-Israel Committee), the Canadian Jewish Congress/United Jewish Appeal and National Jewish Campus Life. It is the advocacy arm of the United Israel Appeal in Canada.[1] Due to a restructuring effective July 1, 2011, these subsidiary organizations were dissolved with CIJA assuming their functions and responsibilities.[2]
The CIJA's chief executive officer was Hershell Ezrin, who served in that position until his retirement at the end of 2010.[3] The group's current CEO is Shimon Fogel, former CEO of the Canada-Israel Committee.[4][5]
CJIA's lobbying and outreach efforts have included meetings and functions that attract high-ranking members of the Canadian government, including the prime minister, and it has financed trips to Israel for Canadian officials and thought leaders.[6][7] The CIJA's creation has been criticized as an attempt to "corporatize" the funding structure of Jewish community organizations and tie them to pro-Israel lobbying.[8]
In April 2008, CIJA was at the center of a global controversy when Iran objected to its receiving non-governmental organization accreditation for a United Nations conference on racism; CIJA withdrew its accreditation request.[9]
In 2011, CIJA assumed its current name following an 18-month restructuring process in which the functions of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, Quebec-Israel Committee, National Jewish Campus Life and the University Outreach Committee were consolidated.[10]