The Federal Court of Canada dismissed an application to review a Passport Office policy that does not allow “Israel” to appear on the passports of people born in Jerusalem. The application was filed by B’nai Brith Canada’s senior legal counsel, David Matas, on behalf of Eliyahu Veffer, a Canadian teenager who had been frustrated in his efforts to have his birthplace shown as “Jerusalem, Israel.” The decision effectively means that Veffer “will continue to receive differential treatment under the existing policy,” Matas said. “Eliyahu Veffer is effectively being denied his birthright by the restrictive policy now in place.” Frank Dimant, B’nai Brith Canada’s executive vice president, called the policy “discriminatory,” adding, “We will certainly be communicating with the new government to advance our views and, hopefully, this will obviate the need for an appeal.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
