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A
Truly Historic Day for Canadian Jewish Congress and Canada's Jewish
Community
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On May 31, Canadian Jewish Congress
(Congress) held a truly historic 29th Plenary Assembly. We
celebrated our 90th year in grand style as Canada's top political leaders came
in person to address the Jewish community.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was presented with the Saul Hayes Human Rights Award
and used the occasion to announce a major national policy initiative regarding remedies for victims of terror. Leader of the Official Opposition Michael
Ignatieff gave the keynote address at the luncheon. NDP Leader Jack Layton and Green
Party Leader Elizabeth May provided
policy addresses and took questions from the audience, while Israel's Vice Prime Minister Silvan
Shalom chose our plenary to make his very first North American address.
Congress was also thrilled to honour Julia and Henry Koschitzky with the
Samuel Bronfman Medal awarded for a lifetime of distinguished service to the
Canadian Jewish community. We could not imagine two more deserving people than
Julia and Henry.
The only bittersweet moment came in the
afternoon session when we said goodbye to our Co-Presidents Rabbi
Reuven Bulka and Sylvain Abitbol. It has been an honour and a pleasure for the
board, staff and volunteers at Congress to work with such fine, upstanding
gentlemen over the past two years. They
have represented the Jewish community of Canada with strength, compassion
and dignity. Yet, while we are sad to say goodbye to "the Rav and Sylvain," we
are honoured to welcome our new National President, Mark Freiman. Mark brings a wealth of experience to his
role as Congress leader. A former Ontario Deputy Attorney-General, Counsel to
the Canadian Human Rights Commission and General Counsel to the Air India
Inquiry, Mark's skill and savvy will be of tremendous benefit to Congress. Mark is supported by a remarkably
accomplished and diverse new Board of Directors who are drawn from eight
provinces and all walks of life.
Please see our Photo Gallery below to view
just a select few of the photos from our plenary. For additional photos of the event, please click here.
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Jewish Community Marches with Pride
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More than 100 members of the Jewish community and its friends came together on a
wet Sunday morning on June 28th to march in the annual Toronto Pride Parade.
Participating under the banner of Kulanu, a Toronto-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) group, the
contingent provided a visible response to groups who chose to make use of the
Parade to impugn Israel. Kulanu was supported by both
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Canadian Jewish Congress. The parade route
was lined by almost a million spectators who responded warmly to Kulanu's
participation. Kulanu marched with Gay-positive messages and Israeli and Canadian flags
and handed out complementary condoms.
Kol hakavod to Kulanu. For more photos and video from the Pride
Parade, please click here |
| CJC Plenary Photo Gallery
Professor Irving Abella, CJC Plenary Chair and Bernie M. Farber, CJC CEO
H.E. Ambassador Miriam Ziv brings greetings from the State of Israel to the Plenary Assembly
Adam Atlas, Chair, Quebec Jewish Congress, reads a letter of greeting
from Bloc Québécois M.P. Carole Freeman
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Hon. Jack Layton P.C., M.P., Leader of the NDP, mingles with Plenary delegates
Elizabeth Wolfe, CJC Board Member, introduces Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Silvan Shalom, M.K, Vice Prime Minister of Israel and Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.,
Prime Minister of Canada
Barbara Bank, CJC Vice-President and Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper addresses the Plenary Assembly
Sold out Gala Luncheon.
Michael Ignatieff, M.P., Leader of the Official Opposition and Hershell Ezrin, CEO Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA) (unidentified participant middle)
Hon. Irwin Cotler, P.C., M.P., introducing Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff addresses the CJC Plenary Assembly
Barbara Farber, Immediate Past President United Israel Appeal Federations Canada (UIAFC) thanking Michael Ignatieff for his keynote address to the plenary
David Koschitzky, Chair of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, introducing Julia and Henry Koschitzky
Immediate Past CJC Co-Presidents Silvan Abitbol and Rabbi Reuven Bulka present the
Samuel Bronfman Medal to Julia and Henry Koschitzky
Mark Freiman delivers his inaugural address as CJC's incoming President
Silvan Shalom faces media scrum
Silvan Shalom (2nd from right) poses with (L-R) Hagai Kuperman, Lindsay Lustig and Esther Mendelsohn
For additional photos click here
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