CIJR GALA-CONFERENCE 2015! CELEBRATE WITH US CIJR’S 27 YEARS OF DEDICATED & EFFECTIVE PRO-ISRAEL ADVOCACY

We welcome your comments to this and any other CIJR publication. Please address your response to:  Rob Coles, Publications Chairman, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, PO Box 175, Station  H, Montreal QC H3G 2K7 –

Contents:

The Story of CIJR: Prof. Frederick Krantz, CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015 — The story of CIJR’s rise to international recognition as Canada’s leading pro-Israel academic research center began in 1987-88 with a small, predominantly (but not exclusively) academic group.

Message From the National Board Chairman: Jack Kincler, CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015 — I would like to begin my letter this year by saluting our very special 2015 CIJR 27th Anniversary Gala Honoree, our indefatigable and dedicated founder, Director and President for 27 years running, Prof. Frederick Krantz.

CIJR Celebrates 27 Years!: Baruch Cohen, CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015 — I am proud and profoundly happy to add a few words about my very modest contribution to this great Jewish organization , as it celebrates its 27th anniversary.

"Emergency" Colloquium on Gaza War; Experts Speak Out: Doris Strub Epstein, Shalom Toronto, Aug. 13, 2015— Hama's best weapon in it's war to destroy Israel, is not rockets or tunnels.

On Topic Links

At 95, Baruch Cohen Still a CIJR Stalwart: Janice Arnold, Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 6, 2014

Seminar Highly Critical of Iran Deal: David Lazarus, Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 28, 2013

The “Other” Israel: Charles Bybelezer, CIJR, Apr. 15, 2015

Ryan Bellerose at CIJR (Video): Youtube, Mar. 21, 2015

THE STORY OF CIJR                                                                                                         

Prof. Frederick Krantz                                                                                                                          

CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015

The story of CIJR’s rise to international recognition as Canada’s leading pro-Israel academic research center began in 1987-88 with a small, predominantly (but not exclusively) academic group. We responded spontaneously to the first 1987-88 intifada, and its negative reflection in the media. Indeed, two of our current most important publications, the quarterly Israfax print magazine and our students’ journal, Dateline: Middle East, were born at the same time, 1989, and have been published in an unbroken series ever since.

This group, meeting initially in my living room, reacted to a becalmed organized community, in a state of shock over, and at a loss at how to respond to, the sudden, negative reversal of media Israel imagery. We began writing letters and articles, and speaking at community groups and synagogues.

The internationally-popular Isranet Daily Briefing email journal, our key current publication (now at Vol.XI, No.3,530 and reaching over 30,000 recipients daily), awaited the invention of the Internet (and our mastery of the computer). Today it is paralleled by the French-language weekly e-mail Communiqué Isranet, by our website’s Israzine monthly, and by an active Facebook and Twitter social media outreach.

When, given the unexpectedly enthusiastic community response, we sought the use of an office and copy-machine (computers were just emerging), not a single Jewish organization responded positively. We had begun receiving contributions, couldn’t receive the monies personally, and so had to decide: disband or incorporate. Choosing the latter, we secured in 1988 a legal charter as a non-profit Canadian educational endowment.

Over time, more academics and laymen joined in CIJR’s work, our International Board grew, and in the late 1990s, we established an active Toronto chapter. Several years ago we forged affiliations with Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum, in Philadelphia, and with the prestigious Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs in Israel, and we will soon be setting up Calgary and Vancouver chapters. Finally, CIJR’s independent sister institution, the American Institute for Jewish Research, head-office in Washington, D.C. received IRS approval in late 2014.

Still, for several years, before we located in a one-room office (lent by the Canadian Zionist Federation), CIJR remained in my Hampstead basement. And then it was another few years until—under the guidance of a wonderful community leader who identified with us, Clara Balinsky, z”l—we formed a supporting Board of Directors.

CIJR’s survival and broad development have not been easy. We had to make our own way, and find our own supporters and funding. We could not have succeeded without the many good people who became academic Fellows, joined our Boards, or proved stalwart and reliable funders and supporters.

Our earliest academic supporters included Professors Hal Waller, Julien Bauer, Ira Robinson, Brian Smith, and Emil Fackenheim, z”l. Baruch Cohen (still at his desk at 95) was one of the first laymen to come aboard. Early supporters, who would later become Board stalwarts, included Richard Golick z”l, Ed Winant z”l, and Charles Lazarus (our first Board chairman), followed by the late Irwin Beutel (our beloved and long-term second Board Chairman), Gisela Tamler z”l, Jack and Maureen, and Frieda, Dym, Evie Bloomfield Schachter, Thomas Hecht, Milton and Joyce Shier (in Toronto), Lillian and Bryant Shiller, Gerald N.E. Charness z”l, Joyce and Meyer Deitcher, Emil and Lucia Kroo, Aaron Remer, Louise Roskies Goldstein and Gustava Weiner.

Today, as we celebrate CIJR’s 27th anniversary and, finally, begin building a much-needed Endowment, I want to recognize the key work over the years of our wonderful Research Chairman, Baruch Cohen, and the tireless efforts of our current, brilliant Chairman, my good friend Jack Kincler, to whom we largely owe this year’s superb “Israeli High-Tech Miracle” Conference.

It has been my privilege to work for twenty-seven years with a truly remarkable group of academics and lay volunteers in building CIJR into Canada’s unique pro-Israel academic think-tank, a dedicated and resourceful organization speaking directly to the public, Jewish and non-Jewish, while working closely with students, on- and off-campus.

I want too to thank all the wonderful women and men of our current Academic Council and National Board: without you—people like, inter alia, Machla Abramowitz, Professor David Bensoussan, Sabina Citron, (Jerusalem), Gail Asper (Winnipeg) Herbert Feifer, and Barbara Kay; and Prof. Sally Zerker, David Sherman and Alan Herman (all in our Toronto Chapter), and many others—we could neither have built, nor maintained, our proud, respected activist institution (see Program Book endorsements!) without them.

The founder of Zionism, Thedor Herzl, famously said, “If you will it, it will be”. After 27 years, CIJR today plays, and in the future will continue to play—through its unique publications, conferences, and work with students—a key part in defending Israel and the Jewish People. It is only by ensuring Jewish- and Zionist consciousness and continuity, that there can be meaningful Israel advocacy.

                                    Prof. Frederick Krantz, President and Director of CIJR,

                                    is Editor of the Isranet Daily Briefing and Israfax

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MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL BOARD CHAIRMAN                                                                

Jack Kincler                                                                                                                  

CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015

Dear friends and supporters, I would like to begin my letter this year by saluting our very special 2015 CIJR 27th Anniversary Gala Honoree, our indefatigable and dedicated founder, Director and President for 27 years running, Prof. Frederick Krantz. A recognition long overdue and well deserved. Prof. Krantz has been the driving force and the “dynamo” behind the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research (CIJR) from day one of its founding 27 years ago. The long hours of hard work and total devotion to the cause of educating and informing the outside world and students about Israel and the Jewish people, even as he was a full-time professor of history at Concordia U., is a trademark of “Prof. K.”, or Fred, as we call him. A true defender of the Jewish people and Israel with his boundless energy and knowledge. Whoever has been privileged to get to know Fred a bit closer is guaranteed to benefit from his inspiring brilliance and store of information on almost every topic.

Fred, being a full-time History Professor in Concordia U. and the founder there of the innovative and renowned Liberal Arts College, could not have built CIJR without the solid help and support of Lenore (also Professor Krantz), his beloved wife—whom we’ll also be honoring this year for all the work and long hours she has dedicated over the years to CIJR. The world is a better place with people such as Fred and Lenore. We wish both Professors K. many more years of good health, many joyous family occasions, and continuing indispensable contributions to CIJR.

Besides the fundraising annual evening Gala dinner, we added this year, on the same day, 29 April 2015, a major International Conference which took many months and a great deal of effort to put together. Entitled “Israel’s High-Tech Miracle and Canada: Innovation for Humanity”, and held at the Gelber Conference Center in Montreal, it will have transpired, and we are sure have been a great success, by the time you read this. (You can still consult the special web site set up for the conference located at www.israconf.com.) This event was meant to provide an insight into Israel’s vibrant economic landscape and its amazing innovative and creative technological activity, which benefits all of humanity. In a world that is hungry for some good news, Israel is a remarkable success story, one told by the High-Tech Miracle conference.

The Keynote speeches and panel discussions included topics on: Defense and Security, Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, Investment Opportunities, How to Establish Subsidiaries in Israel, Opportunities for Joint Academic Research and Cooperation, and more. This demonstration of Israel’s remarkable creativity was a deliberate effort to provide a true counter-narrative to the toxic BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and IAW (Israel Apartheid Week) hate propaganda intensifying on campuses and elsewhere. Our answer to our enemies and detractors is to show all the good things that Israel does for the benefit of humankind.

The Conference had an impressive roaster of speakers from Israel and Canada. Among others, the opening plenary Keynote speaker was Prof. Itzhak Ben Israel, Chairman of the Israel Space Agency and of the National Council for R&D in the Ministry of Science. Rafael Barak, the Israeli Ambassador to Canada, delivered the lunch Keynote…

All this could not have happened without the generosity of our sponsors and donors. Every bit of needed financial assistance we receive is deeply appreciated. And this year Sponsors also enabled student or young community activists from across the country to attend the Conference and Gala. These young people, who have the potential of becoming soldiers in the battle against toxic anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda, will become pro-active in combatting the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and IAW (Israel Apartheid Week) campaigns. They will receive materials from our publications and informational Database, and are eligible to participate in periodic CIJR training sessions and follow-up.

Our dedicated Montreal office colleagues—Rob Coles, Langdon Conway, Melina Ghio and Yunna Shapira—always looking to improve methods and processes, have done a great job. Our wonderful Research Chairman, Baruch Cohen, now 95 and, like Prof. K and myself, an unpaid full-time volunteer, deserves a special yasher koach! And a heartfelt Thank you is due all our volunteers in Montreal and Toronto for your help and dedication! And thanks too to our wonderful and generous Board and Academic Council members, and to our friends, donors, and supporters across Canada, the U.S., Israel and the world. My best personal wishes to you and yours, and may there be peace in Israel and around the world.

Jack Kincler is CIJR’s National Board Chairman

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CIJR CELEBRATES 27 YEARS!                                                                                                                          

Baruch Cohen                                                                                           

CIJR, Apr. 28, 2015

I am proud and profoundly happy to add a few words about my very modest contribution to this great Jewish organization , as it celebrates its 27th anniversary. CIJR is Professor Fred Krantz’ creation. We feel it as we read its print and on-line publications—we know that every line and every page carries the imprint of Prof. Krantz’s unique “flair”.

I was there at the beginning. Across 27 years of daily studying, learning and working with Prof. Krantz, it gives me great pleasure to have reached this Gala celebration of his steady stewardship. CIJR, under Prof. Krantz’s direction, is well-known and respected internationally. Its publications, seminars, conferences and work with students express full support for the State of Israel and the idea of Zionism, and are suffused with a true Yiddishkeit.

I wish Prof. Krantz—Fred—, and my friend Jack Kincler, Chairman, National Board, good health and continued success at the helm of this unique Jewish organization. It has been, and continues to be, a great honour for me to learn from, and to contribute to, our joint work. Thank you, and all the wonderful members of CIJR’s Aademic Council and Boards, deeply, and from my heart!

(Baruch Cohen, CIJR’s outstanding Research Chairman for 27 years,                                                               

is also a member of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center)

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"EMERGENCY" COLLOQUIUM ON GAZA WAR; EXPERTS SPEAK OUT                                                     

Doris Strub Epstein                                                                                              

Shalom Toronto, Aug. 13, 2014

Hama's best weapon in it's war to destroy Israel, is not rockets or tunnels. It was the pictures of dead civilians, especially children, allegedly targeted by Israel. The truth has been obscured by Palestinian propaganda, allegations of Israeli genocide, moral equivalency reportage. In a colloquium organized by the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, CIJR, to combat the Palestinian propaganda that resulted in Orwellian media bias against Israel, a stellar group of academics gathered Sunday morning at the Lodzer Shul for a colloquium titled, Israel, Hamas and the Third Gazan War.

Professor Aurel Braun pointed out Hamas's successful use of propaganda and control of the media was so coercive, there was no objective reporting. A "pornography of war" he called it. Casualty numbers were inflated and most of them were men of military age. Gaza was an "open air prison", they said. No mention was made of the shopping malls, hotels. luxury homes, hospitals – the over 600 millionaires with their air conditioned bunkers. "If Israel would have targeted civilians the war would have been over in hours," he said. Nor was it reported that Israel provides medical care and food, sending technicians into life threatening situations so that Gazans can continue to have free electricity.

"Cycle of violence", "the ceasefire broke down" – the moral equivalence expressed in reporting the Hamas war is widespread in most publications. including the New York Times. "You can't tell the difference between the fireman and the arsonist," he told the audience. Their propaganda made Israel a Goliath and Palestinians a David in the eyes of the world. "Since when did Israel become Goliath," Prof. Braun retorts, "surrounded by 400 million Arab enemies with untold wealth."

Professor Sally Zerker explains why when given Gaza in 2005, Hamas squandered an opportunity to have a flourishing country and chose instead to create a terrorist infrastructure with goal of killing as many Jews as possible. "The manifestation of genocidal anti-Semitism" Irwin Cotler called it, as expressed in their Charter. Money goes into the leaders' pockets and into building armament arsenals, not into building the economy, she said. "A number of Hamas leaders became extremely wealthy; UNWRA money, donations, taking 20 percent of all goods sold." Unemployment stood at 40 percent; 38 percent lived in poverty.

Their honour as Arab Muslims are shamed by the success of the Jews, dhimmis – inferior even to Christians, who won the 1948 war against Muslims and have a flourishing State on "Muslim" land. "This is impossible for the Arab mentality to accept. The war against the Jews can never end until there is Arab victory." The honour/shame analysis explains why they would sooner die than make peace. "Given their ideology, a continuing war till the Jews are defeated, they are not mad," she said, "they are in the grip of a mad ideology that perpetuates the misery within."

"But it is not Hamas that is the existential threat looming over Israel, it's Iran," said highly regarded journalist Lawrence Solomon. "Netanyahu looks at everything through the prism of Iran and it could happen later this year." He is reluctant to retake the 5000 tunnels – Solomon calls the tunnels Israel's "blind spot" -endanger soldiers – an undertaking that could take years.

He sees the tide turning with public opinion more with Israel as more and more evidence of Hamas's ruthless aggression and brutal treatment of its own people is revealed. One hundred and sixty children died while working on the tunnels. Scores of diggers were killed in recent weeks out of fear they would talk to Israeli security forces. For the first time the moderate Arab world is on its side against Hamas, also to counter Iran.

Both Zerker and Braun decried the lack of leadership from the Jewish community, especially CIJA with its "sha shtil aproach" which doesn't work says Braun. "It's all about exercising our rights as citizens. Israel Apartheid week, which is on 150 campuses now is hate mongering. There is a limit to free speech." "Sha shtill comes from CIJA," declared Zerker. "It's supposed to represent us ,it represents nobody. It's a small group that were never even voted in."

Professor Renan Levine attested to the fallout Jewish students felt from the anti-Israel invective on campuses especially leaving the cocoon of Bathurst St. "Cowardice in leadership," said Prof. Braun. IAW goes unopposed. Even lecturers at the Faculty of Medicine under the guise of health, bash Israel. He was outraged to see a picture in the U of T newspaper during Pink Hijab week, of the President of Hillel posing in a pink hijab. "I don't see them much on campus and when they are they are not effective."

CIJR is an Israel and Middle East focused academic research centre, whose Academic Councils include professors from Canada, the U.S. and Israel. In the coming year they will be presenting Israel Learning Seminars for Torontonians. The seminars aim to counter the delegitimization of Israel and the rising tide of anti-Semitism.

No Daily Briefing Will be Published on Wednesday.

Please Join us at the Gelber Centre in Montreal for CIJR’s International Conference and 27^th Anniversary Gala. For more information and to register: http://www.israconf.com/ —Ed.

Contents

On Topic

At 95, Baruch Cohen Still a CIJR Stalwart: Janice Arnold, Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 6, 2014—At 95, Baruch Cohen still comes in almost every day to the downtown office of the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research (CIJR) and puts in several hours poring over the latest news and opinions on the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Seminar Highly Critical of Iran Deal: David Lazarus, Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 28, 2013 — The United States clearly betrayed Israel in Geneva in signing on to the interim “P5+1” deal with Iran, a country that remains intent on producing nuclear weapons.

The “Other” Israel: Charles Bybelezer, CIJR, Apr. 15, 2015 — In some ways, Israel is indeed what many have been conditioned to see: A conflict zone.

Ryan Bellerose at CIJR (Video): Youtube, Mar. 21, 2015 — Ryan Bellerose discusses the parallels between the indigenous struggles in North America and Israel.

Rob Coles, Publications Chairman, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research/ L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme, www.isranet.org

Tel: (514) 486-5544 – Fax:(514) 486-8284 ; ber@isranet.wpsitie.com