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Dear John, On behalf of our Board of Directors, I am pleased to share that Noah Shack has been selected to serve as CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). Born and raised in Ottawa, Noah brings an extraordinary depth of skills, expertise, values, and leadership to this critically important role. Among his many strengths, Noah offers years of high-level advocacy experience combined with a clear, forward-thinking vision for how our community can make an even greater impact. We congratulate Noah and extend our appreciation for his service as Interim President since December. His appointment as CEO by our Board concludes an extensive search process, in which a range of candidates were assessed. We are grateful to all who put themselves forward for consideration. Noah’s term begins at a pivotal moment for our community. As we look ahead to Canada Day, we do so not only with appreciation but also apprehension—and a growing sense that Canada’s values are at risk. Like many in our community, my parents came to Canada in the wake of war and tragedy. They arrived with little in their pockets but brought a wealth of optimism. Embraced by a strong Jewish community, they raised us with the confidence that things would be different in Canada. To my parents, Canada presented a world of opportunity without the insidious evil of antisemitism’s constant darkness. My parents were not naïve. They understood that thousands of years of hatred was still present. However, they believed that it was tempered and that with hard work, determination and giving back to society, we could live a good life amongst the fair minded and good people of Canada. Since October 7, that sense of optimism has been shaken. It pains me, and it would deeply sadden my parents, to know that a growing number in our community question whether there’s a Jewish future in countries like Canada. But my parents were not ones to despair. They were proud, strong and willing to fight for what they believed in. Whatever difficulties we now face pale in comparison to what many of our families survived. And while our current environment is challenging, our community and our allies are strong, and we are fighting back and fighting hard. We are not saying thank you to governments for small and empty gestures but demand strong policies and actions that affirm we are deserving citizens who share common values and rights with fellow Canadians. We are asserting our freedom to openly express our opinions and practice our religion without being threatened—with equal access to opportunity based on merit without being prejudiced against and to live our lives safely under the protection of the law and the police. Like all good people of Canada. Above all else, we are standing up for our fundamental rights from our governments and society to be treated equally and to live with the same dignity, opportunity, and respect as all Canadians. Nothing more, nothing less. And on Canada Day, we will celebrate and recommit ourselves to building a better country as we always have. We have a strategy and the will—and we have already begun to execute our plan. Success will greatly depend on engaging our community and allies. We will be inviting you to become more involved in our shared mission, as this is really your mission. You will soon be hearing from Noah and the CIJA team about your critical role and new ways you can have impact. Because it rests with all of us to secure our future for the next generation. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Canada Day, Elan
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