Emergency Appeal – Almost There!
Shalom Chaverim,
Thank you very much to our members who responded to our appeal for financial support for Israel’s Reform Movement (IMPJ), as they do the unbelievable work of supporting Israelis affected by the war with Iran, while they themselves are personally affected – running to shelters all hours of the day and night, and in many cases suffering property damage.
We’re close to achieving our target of $30,000! Please DONATE NOW.
IMPJ community events for Israelis, in protected spaces
IMPJ community events for Israelis, in protected spaces
Many Israelis have lost their homes and possessions to a direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile or missile from Hezbollah. Our Reform brothers and sisters are among those affected.
The IMPJ is going to great lengths to help as many Israelis as possible, by providing shelter, emotional and spiritual support, as well as financial support to those who have suffered loss.
If you already made a contribution, you’re already supporting this critical work.
If you haven’t yet donated, please DONATE NOW.
We’ve almost reached our goal of providing $30,000 from the Canadian Reform community to the IMPJ. Let’s meet and exceed this target!
Thank you! And Shabbat Shalom.
Judith Wiley and Jeff Denaburg
Co-Chairs, ARZA Canada
Upcoming Events:
Aspirational Zionism: How Moral Imagination Enriches Our Love of Israel and the Jewish People
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM
Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto
Join us to hear Yehuda Kurtzer as he shares reflections on what it means to embrace an aspirational Zionism today—one proudly committed to the Jewish people and responsive to the moral, spiritual, and political challenges of our time.
Following his remarks, Yehuda will be joined by Rabbi Yael Splansky for a conversation about how we can contribute to ensuring that Israel lives up to our deepest hopes and our highest values.
Register here.
April 30 – The Inverted Funnel of Information and the Creation of a False Consensus: The Case of the ‘Genocide’ Allegations in Gaza
Dr. Danny Orbach
Dr. Danny Orbach is an Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He specializes in military history, political assassinations and coups, military adventurism, illegal orders, dynamics of military atrocities and the history of intelligence and espionage. His books were translated to numerous languages, including Thai, Japanese, Hebrew, French, Hungarian, Italian and Spanish. Orbach is currently writing a history of Jus in Bello (the rules of armed conflict) in the Imperial Japanese Army. Dr. Orbach will lecture on one of the most oft repeated libels of the last few years, that Israel committed a genocide.
This is an online program. Register here
Click here for recordings of past sessions.
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!
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.
•••
Aspirational Zionism: How Moral Imagination Enriches Our Love of Israel and the Jewish People
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM
Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto
Join us to hear Yehuda Kurtzer as he shares reflections on what it means to embrace an aspirational Zionism today—one proudly committed to the Jewish people and responsive to the moral, spiritual, and political challenges of our time.
Following his remarks, Yehuda will be joined by Rabbi Yael Splansky for a conversation about how we can contribute to ensuring that Israel lives up to our deepest hopes and our highest values.
Register here.
Israel Dialogues
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April 30 – The Inverted Funnel of Information and the Creation of a False Consensus: The Case of the ‘Genocide’ Allegations in Gaza
Dr. Danny Orbach
Dr. Danny Orbach is an Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He specializes in military history, political assassinations and coups, military adventurism, illegal orders, dynamics of military atrocities and the history of intelligence and espionage. His books were translated to numerous languages, including Thai, Japanese, Hebrew, French, Hungarian, Italian and Spanish. Orbach is currently writing a history of Jus in Bello (the rules of armed conflict) in the Imperial Japanese Army. Dr. Orbach will lecture on one of the most oft repeated libels of the last few years, that Israel committed a genocide.
This is an online program. Register here
Click here for recordings of past sessions.
•••
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!
Register here. Cost is US$36.
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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