A letter from IJV’s National Coordinator, Corey Balsam
To our community,
In a few hours, I’ll walk into the Senate to testify before the Human Rights Committee on antisemitism. I’m here with Rabbi David Mivasair and racial justice scholar Joshua Sealy-Harrington. Together, we’re making sure the voices of genuine anti-racists are finally heard in Parliament.
This moment didn’t happen by chance. For years, Zionist lobby groups like CIJA have tried to silence Jewish voices like ours that speak out in defense of Palestinian human rights. With your support, IJV has fought for a seat at this table, and our invitation today proves that anti-Zionist Jewish voices can no longer be ignored.
But we need your help to keep this momentum going.
Can you make a donation to IJV today to sustain this critical work in the months ahead?
I’ll be honest, I feel torn about being here.
Over the past year, Parliament has held repeated hearings on antisemitism, but only a scant few on Gaza, the site of one of the gravest human rights catastrophes of our time. The contrast reveals a painful truth about whose lives and rights command moral urgency in Ottawa today.
And yet, this is exactly why IJV must show up. We’re the most prominent national Jewish counterweight to groups like CIJA who attempt to disguise genocide-apologism as a “fight against antisemitism.” We’re here to say clearly: Zionist lobby groups do not represent the Jewish community, and opposing a genocide is not antisemitic. Demanding freedom for Palestinians is a matter of justice, not hate.
From Parliament Hill to your hometown, IJV is driving change.
We’re pushing for:
- An arms embargo and sanctions against Israeli institutions;
- An end to charitable donations funding settlements and the Israeli military;
- Rejection of laws like Bill C-9 that seek to silence the anti-genocide movement.
This work depends on grassroots donations from people like you.
For 17 years, IJV has built a Jewish political home rooted in justice, not Zionism: a home for Jews who refuse to let our ancestral traditions be warped and used to justify genocide and ethnic cleansing. Each year, our fall fundraiser powers the work that follows.
In Parliament, in our communities, and in the streets, IJV is raising our voice to demand justice. Please donate today to help us keep fighting for a free Palestine and for liberatory Jewish futures.
In solidarity,
Corey
