Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) is a grassroots organization grounded in Jewish tradition that opposes all forms of racism and advocates for justice and peace for all in Israel-Palestine. Our strength comes from our members. IJV has active chapters in cities and on university campuses across the country.
IJV was established in 2008, bringing together 20+ progressive grassroots Jewish organizations across the country under one united banner. It has since grown dramatically, boasting 18 chapters, and over 1000 Jewish members and non-Jewish supporters. It is governed by a community-based volunteer Steering Committee and currently has 4 paid staff. IJV is now among the largest organizations that focuses on Palestine solidarity in Canada, and is the largest political and community-based organization on the Canadian Jewish left.
IJV’s 5 Strategic Priorities
Specific objective:
To stop the IHRA definition of antisemitism from being adopted, and to counter further attempts at branding Palestine solidarity as antisemitic, by governments and other institutions in Canada and internationally.
Recent accomplishments:
- Successful advocacy and grassroots mobilization efforts have stopped the dangerous IHRA definition from being adopted in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
- In November 2021, the Canadian Association of University Teachers unanimously voted to reject the IHRA. IJV provided a detailed submission to delegates which played an important role in this victory. -To date, over 40 faculty associations and unions have passed motions rejecting the IHRA – an incredible feat!
- We began offering our “fighting antisemitism with a critical lens” workshop to educate groups about real antisemitism, while distinguising between antisemitism and legitimate critiques of Israel and Zionism.
Specific objective:
To increase the number of Canadians, and specifically Jewish Canadians, that support justice and human rights in Israel-Palestine.
Recent accomplishments:
- Launch of a new national campaign, Together Against Apartheid, in March 2022. To date, over 4300 people have signed the Together Against Apartheid pledge, including several dozen influencers such as politicians, artists and public intellectuals.
- Co-launch of the Vote Palestine campaign during the September 2021 federal election. At least 68 candidates running in the election signed the Vote Palestine pledge, three of whom won their seats.
- Several well-attended popular education online events held throughout the year, such as “The Use and Misuse of Antisemitism Accusations in Canada”, “From IDF to IJV”, and a QnA with former UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk
Specific objective:
To develop and build relationships with other organizations in Canada that align with our mission, principles and values.
Recent accomplishments:
- Solidarity against Islamophobia, particularly in the wake of the June 2021 London attack which killed four members of a Muslim family.
- A workshop series on Indigenous solidarity in the winter of 2022.
- Support for Wet’suwet’en land defenders, including a Jewish contingent in a Montreal-Wet’suwet’en solidarity demo, and a weekly picket outside Royal Bank of Canada offices in Montreal.
Specific objectives:
- To increase the number of Members, Supporters, and others involved in IJV efforts as well as the number of local chapters, staff and resources.
- To increase both individual and institutional donors and donations.
Recent accomplishments:
- IJV hosted a captivating intergenerational panel on religion and spirituality in our activism.
- We doubled our financial support from the labour movement – a sign that Canadian unions are making a stronger commitment to Palestinian liberation.
- We recently hired an excellent Campus Engagement Coordinator on a short term contract. In addition to two workshops on student recruitment and training, she has developed a campus chapter handbook that will be made available to our student chapters.
Specific objective:
To further advance the effectiveness and accountability of the organization’s Steering Committee, other committees and staff to our members, supporters, donors and allies.
Recent accomplishments:
- Strengthening of our Steering committee to include a greater gender, race and age diversity, as well as regional reps from coast to coast.
- Strategic visioning and planning sessions held throughout the summer of 2022.
We have bold plans for the next few years to build a winning movement against Israeli apartheid in Canada. We are fueled by love, passion, and a thirst for freedom and justice. If you want to join us in this exciting journey, become a member or supporter of IJV today.