Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), formerly the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, was founded in 2004 as the principal advocacy, oversight and co-ordinating body for a number of Jewish Canadian organizations including the Canada-Israel Committee (and the Quebec-Israel Committee), the Canadian Jewish Congress/United Jewish Appeal and National Jewish Campus Life. Today, CIJA is the advocacy arm of the Jewish Federations of Canada-United Israel Appeal.

In 2011, CIJA assumed its current name following an 18-month restructuring process in which the functions of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, Quebec-Israel Committee, National Jewish Campus Life and the University Outreach Committee were consolidated.

CIJA's Chief Executive Officer was Hershell Ezrin, who served in that position until his retirement at the end of 2010. The group's current CEO is Shimon Fogel, former CEO of the Canada-Israel Committee.

CIJA maintains offices in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Jerusalem.

The Canadian Rabbinic Caucus, an interdenominational body of Rabbis from across the country, provides support and advice to CIJA on behalf of Canadian synagogues. The Caucus is chaired by Rabbi Reuben Poupko of Montreal.

CIJA's lobbying and outreach efforts have included meetings and functions that attract high-ranking members of the Canadian government, including the Prime Minister, and it has financed trips to Israel for Canadian officials and thought leaders. CIJA's creation has been criticized as an attempt to "corporatize" the funding structure of Jewish community organizations and tie them to pro-Israel lobbying.

CIJA's CEO, Shimon Fogel, explained the logic behind the new advocacy structure in a 2012 column in the Jerusalem Post:

CIJA has regularly condemned acts of vandalism targeting places of worship and faith-based schools in Canada, including acts committed against Jewish, Sikh, and Muslim institutions.