A Win Against Settlement Expansion – Thanks to You
Shalom Chaverim,
Your vote for ARZA Canada in last year’s World Zionist Congress (WZC) election allows Reform representatives to achieve important wins in institutions such as the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemet L’Israel (KKL). Your vote has impact.
With our success in the WZC election, Reform representatives are prominent in KKL. They were instrumental in a recent decision to end funding for outposts in the West Bank.
“Regretfully, under the guise of education, it turned out we were supporting activities aimed at bringing youth at risk to the settlements to help dispossess Palestinians from their land,” said KKL chair Eyal Ostrinsky, who is a member of the Reform congregation in Mevasseret Tzion.
Reform reps on KKL stopped the diversion of funds from education programs to West Bank outposts
Gidi Aizen, Deputy Chair of KKL (from the global Reform movement, Arzenu) said, “This is a major achievement for Arzenu after a long and persistent struggle. We are here to stand up for our values, fight injustice, and make clear that funding for violence has no place in KKL-JNF.”
Gidi Aizen (left) and Eyal Ostrinsky (second from right) with KKL board members from the world Reform movement, Arzenu
This was only possible because thousands of Reform Jews in Canada and across the world voted in the WZC election. Your votes have real impact.
Good news – Reform conversions in Israel
Despite official government animosity towards liberal Judaism, Israelis continue to turn to the Reform movement as a modern way to express their Judaism.
In April alone, 54 individuals completed their journey to Judaism through Israel’s Reform movement. Conversion is a deeply personal process, and Israelis increasingly put their trust in the Reform movement for this important step in their life.
Reform conversions in Israel
L’shalom,
Judith Wiley and Jeff Denaburg
Co-Chairs, ARZA Canada
Upcoming Events:
Israel in Depth – Reform Day of Learning
May 17, 2026 from 12 to 5 PM ET on zoom
This is an opportunity for congregational lay leaders and professionals to hear from experts, ask big questions, and connect with others who are working in similar spaces. This half-day training was developed for this moment, to address the challenges and responsibilities facing the Jewish community in a post-October 7 world.
This session will draw on material created for the ARZA Canada curriculum for Israel – Navigating Shared Spaces.
The speakers will include:
- Rachel Goldberg-Polin
- Dahlia Sheindlin, renowned political strategist and public opinion researcher
- Lesley Litman, project manager of ARZA Canada’s Navigating Shared Space curriculum
This is an opportunity for those seeking deeper grounding, moral clarity, and leadership and educational tools for engaging Israel in a complex time through a Reform Movement lens!
For more information, click here.
Register here. Cost is US$36.
New podcast – Israeli Puzzle
Israeli Puzzle is a new podcast series offers insights into Israel and Israeli history. Its goal is to provide important information that isn’t widely known, in an entertaining format.
We are grateful for our sponsors
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Volunteer Opportunity with ARZA Canada
ARZA Canada seeks a new board member to serve as Treasurer.
ARZA Canada (the Association of Reform Zionists of America – Canada) is affiliated with the Reform Jewish Community of Canada and the Union for Reform Judaism North America.
ARZA 2024 • Now More Than Ever
With over 4,400 members, our mandate is to connect with Reform communities throughout Canada, foster connections with and strengthen our ties to the Reform Movement in Israel, and work to realize the vision of Reform Zionism.
Follow us on Facebook/ARZACANADA
Upcoming Events
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Digital Leaders for Progressive Judaism
The World Union For Progressive Judaism is offering a program to develop “Digital Leaders”, who will learn about the values of progressive Judaism and how to share them on social media. The program includes leadership training with time in Israel.
Click here for more information.
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Israel in Depth – Reform Day of Learning
May 17, 2026 from 12 to 5 PM ET on zoom
This is an opportunity for congregational lay leaders and professionals to hear from experts, ask big questions, and connect with others who are working in similar spaces. This half-day training was developed for this moment, to address the challenges and responsibilities facing the Jewish community in a post-October 7 world.
This session will draw on material created for the ARZA Canada curriculum for Israel – Navigating Shared Spaces.
This is an opportunity for those seeking deeper grounding, moral clarity, and leadership and educational tools for engaging Israel in a complex time through a Reform Movement lens!
This is an online program. Register here
Register here. Cost is US$36.
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Podcasts
Miriam Pearlman, immediate past president of ARZA Canada, discusses the impact of Israel’s new government with fellow leaders in a Canadian Jewish News Daily podcast:
About ARZA Canada
Travel to Israel
Arza Canada Privacy Policy
The Privacy Commission of Canada states the following:
Non-profit organizations are not subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) when they do not engage in commercial activities.
The following activities are not considered commercial and are not subject to PIPEDA:
- collecting membership fees
- compiling a list of members’ names and addresses/email addresses
- mailing out newsletters
As you know, ARZA Canada represents Canadian Reform Zionists with members in all of Canada’s Reform congregations. Though independent of the sister organization, ARZA, in the United States, it is an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Reform Jewish Community of Canada (RJCC). We are writing to address how ARZA Canada maintains its membership records, and in particular its commitment to the privacy of our members.
Accurate membership records are important to the entire Reform Jewish Community of Canada given that the size of our membership determines our influence on Zionist policies in Canada and in Israel. ARZA Canada members come through congregational solicitation and activism, and so annually it is provided lists of its members from Canadian Reform congregations such as yours in order to confirm individual memberships. This is deeply appreciated.
ARZA Canada has strong privacy practices to ensure the confidentiality of this membership information. It is used by ARZA Canada to communicate with our members and engage them in the activities of ARZA Canada, including joint programs with RJCC and our congregations.
For more please click here.
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