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Dear John,

As I write to you, CIJA is going through a pivotal period of change.

Last week, Interim President Noah Shack rejoined CIJA to lead us into a new chapter, together with a lay leadership transition team and CIJA’s senior professionals. We do so with appreciation for the dedicated service of the entire CIJA staff, including our former President & CEO, Shimon Koffler Fogel.

Change also means evolving our strategies, tactics, and tools. This is essential to meet the challenges of an environment that has fundamentally shifted since CIJA was first launched—and has only intensified since the October 7th attacks.

While our approach will evolve, what won’t change is our core purpose: to strengthen our community through impactful Jewish advocacy. As we move forward, here’s what you can expect.

First, you can count on us to tell it like it is, unapologetically.

This is a moment to be crystal clear to every elected official, regardless of party: Our community rejects empty expressions of sympathy from those in a position to take action against Jew hatred.

We will judge our public officials not simply on what they say, but on what they do—or fail to do—to defeat the evil of antisemitism and the threat it poses to Canada.

While CIJA cannot be partisan, we will vocally call out failures of leadership. And we will do so through enhanced government relations and communications strategies that make an even greater impact on decisionmakers.

As a practical example, on Friday, the Government of Canada announced it is convening a national forum to combat antisemitism. This will unite all three levels of government, police, and justice officials to tackle the crisis of Jew hatred taking place in our country.

We called for a national forum in November following the antisemitic rioting that took place in Montreal. But we will be the first to say to the government that a national forum alone is not an achievement. It’s an opportunity for change.

Together with our allies, we will demand that the forum lead to stronger laws, stricter enforcement and prosecution, more resources for police, and other practical measures that are well within the power of authorities.

Because our community won’t accept empty platitudes or photo ops—especially after a week that saw a synagogue firebombed and a Jewish school struck by gunfire.

Second, we will fight tirelessly to create a new reality in which there are consequences for those who target our community.

This means continuing the work of our Legal Task Force, which is currently in litigation with the Government of Canada for funding UNRWA and with Toronto Metropolitan University. We will also continue to provide pro-bono guidance to community members who have been targeted, which the Task Force has successfully delivered to more than 400 people.

In collaboration with others in our community, we will also continue gathering and sharing information with authorities. Since October 7, our team’s open-source research—and the information we have shared with Canadian officials—have led to 24 arrests and more than 100 instances in which a potential threat has been blocked from entering Canada.

Going on offence also means targeting the sources of terror and extremism. While we played a role in having Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Samidoun designated as terrorist groups, we need to see much more progress—and faster. We will also continue advocating to the provinces, municipalities, crown prosecutors, and police, because authorities need to take back every corner of society from the extremists.

Third, you can count on us to welcome new ideas, new partnerships, and new ways to elevate our entire community’s efforts.

We’re proud of the unique role CIJA serves in our Jewish community. We also celebrate the fact that CIJA is part of a larger movement that includes many wonderful organizations, activists, and allies advancing the cause.

This includes longstanding organizations like Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, CJPAC, and Hillel—as well as new groups like Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario, Allies for a Strong Canada, and the Canadian Jewish Labour Committee—among others, all important but far too numerous to list in a single email. Now more than ever, we collectively need each other.

Our adversaries make no distinction when it comes to their hatred of Jews. We need to coordinate, unite, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Above all, CIJA will work to create the conditions for all of us to succeed and strengthen each other.

Because if we want others to show up for our community, we must begin by standing up for ourselves—with greater unity and pride than ever.

Am Yisrael Chai,

Elan Pratzer
Chair of the Board

PS: I am committed to reporting to our community with a high level of transparency, as well as listening with an open mind. If you have ideas or questions, I’d love to hear from you—please reach out.