Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2
Honourable Melanie Joly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0G2
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Madame Joly,
We write to you today as clergy of the Canadian Reform Movement, proud of our convictions as spokespeople for social justice and compassion. Our progressive community spreads from coast to coast, representing approximately 20,000 people. These have been dark days for our congregations, unprecedented in form. On October 7th we were traumatized by Hamas’
campaign of terror on Israel’s southern border. There has been no reprieve as we continue to
yearn for the return of the hostages and witness the grief of families torn apart. It pains us to see Israel’s soldiers called to duty, fighting for the survival of our beloved state. The loss of civilian Palestinian lives leaves us deeply saddened.
Further at home, we have never felt more alone. Our children are afraid to express their Jewish identity in public, the seniors of our community lament that the anti-Jewish hate they witness is comparable to the Holocaust. Universities have become hotbeds of radical propaganda targeting Jews. One by one, our friends have abandoned us, afraid to stand alongside our community in its
time of need.
We are ashamed to witness Canada’s recent call at the United Nations for a cease fire. To pivot in this way on the world stage is to tell Canada’s Jews that we are alone, that we lack the same rights of every other people to protect ourselves from terror and threat. This abandonment reminds some of us of the dark “none is too many” chapter in Canadian history when our nation turned its back on Jewish suffering because it was politically expedient.
We dream of a day when an Israeli and Palestinian state can stand side by side. One-sided
motions that cast blame on Israel sadly take us in the opposite direction. At the very least, we
would have expected an abstention, to refrain from mentioning Hamas is to hold Israel
responsible for Hamas` destruction of its people.
Over recent months we have been grateful to the Canadian government for its moral clarity in a time of darkness. For this conviction to have now wavered leaves us devastated, vulnerable and further isolated. We would welcome the opportunity to speak in coming days about finding pathways to address the desperate needs of our communities.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg (Chair), Temple Israel, Ottawa, Ontario
Rabbi Yael Splansky (Vice Chair), Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz (Past Chair), Temple Sholom, Vancouver, BC
Rabbah Gila Caine (Executive), Temple Beth Ora, Edmonton, AB
Rabbi Stephen Wise (Executive), Shaarei Beth El Congregation, Oakville, ON
Rabbi Philip Bregman, Temple Sholom (Emeritus), Vancouver, BC
Rabbi Carey Brown, Temple Sholom, Vancouver, BC
Rabbi Jordan Cohen, Temple Anshe Sholom, Hamilton, ON
Rabbi Lori Cohen, Temple Kol Ami, Vaughan, ON
Rabbi Michael Dolgin, Temple Sinai, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Ed Elkin, First Narayver Congregation, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Larry Englander, Temple Solel (Emeritus), Mississauga, ON
Rabbi Mark Glickman, Temple B’nai Tikvah, Calgary, AB
Rabbi Seth Goren, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Lisa Gruschow, Temple Emanuel Beth Sholom, Montreal, PQ
Rabbi Sam Kaye, Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Irit Printz, B’nai Shalom v’Tikvah, Ajax, ON
Rabbi Jordan Shaner, Temple Sinai, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Michael Stroh, Har Zion (Emeritus), Toronto, ON
Rabbi Cory Weiss, Har Zion, Toronto, ON
Rabbi Debra Dressler, Temple Israel, London, ON
Rabbi Audrey Pollack, Temple Solel, Mississauga, ON
cc: Ambassador of Israel to Canada, Ambassador Iddo Moed
Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Robert Rae
Canadian Special Envoy on Anti Semitism, Ambassador Deborah Lyons
MP Rachel Bendayan
Honourable MP Carolyn Bennett
Honourable Bill Blair
MP Ben Carr
MP Julie Debrusin
Honourable MP Chrystia Freeland
MP Anna Gainey
Honourable MP Karina Gould
MP Anthony Housefather
Honourable MP Marco Mendocino
Honourable MP Joyce Murray
MP Taleeb Noormohammed
MP Yasir Naqvi
MP Rob Oliphant
Honourable MP Ya’ara Saks