What is ARZA Canada?
ARZA Canada is the Zionist voice of the Reform Jewish Community of Canada.
Our Vision
For our Reform Jewish Canadian community to have a strong connection to Israel as our spiritual home and have meaningful bonds with our Reform colleagues and congregations in Israel.
Our Mission
As an affiliate of the Reform Jewish Community of Canada (RJCC) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), ARZA Canada is committed to the ideals of progressive Zionism. ARZA Canada represents the Reform Jewish community on issues that impact Israel and Zionism.
We strive to engage our congregations and members through education, programming, advocacy, support for study in Israel and promotion of travel to Israel.
City Shul is a proud member of ARZA Canada. Click HERE to learn more.
ARZA Canada - March 2024 note to the City Shul Community
Since October 7, 2023, City Shul members and Reform Jews across Canada have at times felt challenged by accusations that their strong support of Israel and their liberal values contradict each other. ARZA Canada with its 8,400 members, who include many City Shul supporters, has become a tangible response to demonstrate the very real possibilities of doing both.
ARZA Canada president Lee Weisser, a member of ARZA since 2015 and a dedicated Reform leader, has just returned from a working trip to Israel. “The Israeli people are continuing to live their lives as best they can in spite of their grief, fear and anger,” she reports. “ They are willing to come together to protect their country and way of life in spite of political and cultural differences. I sense a real commitment to creating a different future for Israel post-October 7.”
Immediately after October 7, ARZA Canada allied with its partner, the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) and their “Resilience in the Face of War Campaign 2023.” They mobilized aid for what is called ‘the Gaza Envelope’ of Jewish communities closest to the southern border. ”Israeli Reform congregations have provided volunteers to pick fruit and vegetables, and to work in distribution centres that send everyday essentials to evacuees,” says Lee Weisser. “Their rabbis are providing spiritual and emotional support to grieving and displaced Israelis, including their Israeli Arab neighbours.”
ARZA Canada President Lee Weisser with IMPJ CEO Anna Kislanski in Israel
Progressive Israelis' efforts may be being helped by an unexpected source: some Israeli soldiers returning from Gaza have formed a nonpartisan movement bringing IDF reservists together in an organization called Tikun. A Feb. 28 article in the New York Times reported that Tikun’s members say they want civilian Israel to reflect the comradeship of its military, where units and tank crews are made up of both right-wing and left-wing Israelis. David Sherez, a special forces commander with the IDF and co-founder of Tikun, told the Times, “Everybody needs to do some soul-searching.” Tikun is setting an example of what can be accomplished when there is genuine respect and a focus on solidarity.
At the moment, too much criticism and rank antisemitism may make Canadian Jews and members of City Shul feel there is little they can do. As its mandate explains, ARZA Canada is dedicated to educating people about the complex reality of Israel and presenting it in a balanced and nuanced way. ARZA Canada distributes a newsletter twice a month that showcases the work of the Israeli Reform movement and how voices in Canada can make a difference. Recently, the newsletter profiled how our vote at the World Zionist Council in Jerusalem promoted a call for equality, pluralism and inclusion. Read it here.
ARZA Canada also supports congregational events across the country, including Israel events at City Shul. Many City Shul members already support ARZA voluntarily when renewing terumah.
If you wish to help ARZA Canada further in its efforts to mobilize progressive Judaism’s response to the current crisis, go to arzacanada.org.
