Independent
Jewish Voices Vancouver chapter will hold a protest at the conference of the Centre for Israel and
Jewish Affairs on
Sunday, May 5, 4 pm, outside 500 Granville Street.
Speakers at the CIJA conference include Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, Israel's ambassador to Canada Miriam Ziv and former US ambassador to the Middle East Dennis Ross.
IJV will point out that
CIJA should not be believed when it postures as if it speaks for Canadian Jewry and that specific CIJA-supported
policies promote ongoing large-scale violence and injustice.
Please
come and join us. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact
me by e-mail or at (604) 781-7839.
To learn more about the CIJA conference, see here.
The
IJV demonstration will take place at the same time as another
demonstration against CIJA by the
Conference of the Palestinian Shatat in North America. Learn more about
that here. "CIJA does not represent the majority of Canadian Jews. Rather it is a highly partisan political lobby organization which uncritically supports policies of the Israeli government which have been ruled illegal by the World Court and which are contrary to Canadian Foreign policy such as the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestine, expanding settlements on that land, the separation barrier, and its refusal to negotiate about the rights of Palestinian refugees. It is clear to us, as Jews, that Israel holds and abuses its overwhelming power in a way deeply inconsistent with Jewish values and human rights." -- from IJV letter to Canadian senators
