TORONTO (JTA) — Canada’s newly restructured Israel and Jewish advocacy agency finally has a name: the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
The name was announced last week by the organization’s branding committee, which reportedly surveyed preferences from among a select group of stakeholders and interested parties. The new agency oversees and coordinates the work of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, Quebec-Israel Committee, National Jewish Campus Life and the University Outreach Committee.
The restructuring of Canada Jewish and Israel advocacy organizations was an 18-month-long process conducted largely behind closed doors. The restructuring also resulted in the firing of nine employees, six of them formerly with the Canadian Jewish Congress.
All along, some community members expressed concerns that the consolidation of agencies would result in the demise of the 92-year-old Canadian Jewish Congress. After the announecment, Frank Bialystok, the CJC’s Ontario region chair, said his organization has not disappeared.
"The national executive of Congress is still intact," Bialystok told the Canadian Jewish News. "We have no budget so we can’t operate. But we own the name. We own the logo. And only we can decide to fold up."
